Christmas is over? It's December 28th? The time-- where did it go?

Getting older, for me, is synonymous with the 'ole "blink and you miss it" saying.

Christmas? My favorite holiday that I over-decorated our apartment for and spent way too much money in preparation for and got so, so excited to go home for the holidays in anticipation of?

It's gone. Over. Done with. FINITO. Au revoir. Arrivederci. Adios 'til next year, my friend.

It feels like the last few weeks have been a whirlwind, and after all of the build up I'm kind of looking around, confused, wondering where a) Christmas went; b) December went; and c) 2011 went. Even more overwhelming are ALL OF THE PLANS/IDEAS/GOALS I've started to make for myself for this upcoming year of 2012. (Sidenote: I think I've blogged this before, but does anyone else out there ever read something with a date of like... 1999 and think "Psh, that was just a few years ago... oh, um... or thirteen. A child has become a teenager and my mind still thinks it was just a few years ago." Also devastating-- hearing some of your favorite songs start to make the rounds on a radio station's Wayback Wednesday playlist.)

(If you're still following this jumble of random, bless your heart. I've just inhaled a large coffee and my mind? It is racing.)

The funny thing is, one of my goals of 2012 is to NOT plan so much and to not be overwhelmed. Planning to stay organized is one thing; planning to an obsessive extent is completely different. I'm an "it's all in the details" kind of person, yet I know it's time to take a step back when I'm laying in bed at night mentally practicing how to tie the perfect bow with my ribbon, perfectly color-coordinated to my wrapping paper and how I'm going to attach the color-coordinated initial ornaments that I bought for each gift. Brian sometimes says my mind must be a scary place at times-- agree.

So anywho, I need to lay off of the details. By nature I will always plan and over-plan and worry afterwards if I planned enough, but my goal is to try and start to enjoy the results of my planning, because I really do not do that as often as I should.

To wrap up the last few weeks, I'll bullet:

*I went home to Texas for Christmas. While there, I drank a lot of wine and sweet tea; ate my weight in sausage balls, Trash (snack mix), Chick fil A, and Mexican food; walked our boxer, Lucy; spent time with my family (extended and immediate); and had the best girls night in ever with the best of my best friends. My shopping was done so I got to relax and sip coffee in the mornings and go for runs at 10am if I wanted to... and it was just lovely.

*My parents completely surprised me with a Kindle Fire for Christmas. As anti-eReader as I was forever (hello, desire to work in the PRINT publishing industry)... I'm hooked. Like, it is my precious baby and don't come near it. We're one in the same. The bond? With my Kindle? It is powerful. Truly though, it is SO handy on the train/shuttle and weighs much less than the three books I routinely carry for my daily commute (a girl's gotta have her literary options). So... Kindle Fire. It's good, pretty stuff.

*Our tree is so dead I'm afraid to turn the lights on, but am crossing my fingers that it can pull through to 1/1/12. Then we'll bid it farewell.

*We got a Keurig for Christmas. Sticking in the K-cup is easy. As for the estimation of how much water to use... I'm still learning:


*I cannot wait to make black eyed peas and cornbread on New Year's Day.

*Pinterest Check: I made melted snowman cookies while I was home! They're adorable! I'll share pictures (I promise).

*My flight to Texas included an aisle-mate who played percussion on her lap and aggressively tapped her feet for the entire. four. hour. flight. I shamelessly snapped a picture as proof once we landed and before I bolted to get the HECK away from the crazy:


*We may/may not stay in on New Years Eve. For the first time ever, I would be comPLETEly okay if that's how our plans work out.

*My race schedule for 2012 is in the works. I ran most mornings that I was home and BOY did it feel good to be back out on the pavement. Seriously-- I've missed it and am also reminded why I get sick of the treadmill so fast. I even ran Christmas morning with "Santa Baby" and "Baby It's Cold Outside" playing in my ears. It might have been my most invigorated run in a while.

*At our big family Christmas Fiesta last Thusrday, my five year old (second) cousin Jack looked me dead in the eye as I wiped the remnants of (bright, royal blue) snowman scarf icing from his cheeks (and nose, ear and forehead) and said "Katie, I love you," in the way that only a little five year old boy can say. And I about melted to the floor. He has my heart, he does indeed.


The rest of this week will likely be cray-cray, and it's not a good sign that my left eye has already been twitching, so I'll try to post my million and one pictures from Texas asap. There are some goodies, I promise!

P.S. Does anyone else feel lost on Pinterest without Christmas ideas to save and obsess over completing? I couldn't help but giggle when I saw notices that people had repinned Halloween and football pins in place of Christmas. It's like we're lost with no direction. Is it Valentine's Day yet? V-Day = new board = new world of procrastination.

The Sunday I did absolutely nothing productive.

*I should be packing but I cannot muster up the oomph to do so. The last thing that I want to do tomorrow is come home and stress out and be rushing to pack and get things together, but tonight my thought is "Eh... what's the hurry?"

*My eye has been twitching for over a week now. I'm convinced it's because I never get enough sleep, though I slept until 10 today, which never happens. You'd think I'd head to bed now, but we just started a movie, just for kicks. Never mind that I'm the only one out of the two of us who has to work tomorrow.

*Tuesday night I leave for Texas, and I am SO excited to be home for awhile! I wish that Brian was able to come and spend at least part of the holiday with me, but it will be nice to be with my family regardless. We even have a Christmas Fiesta planned for the Thursday before Christmas, which I'm overly excited for. It shall be fun!

*Packing update: I just pulled out the few gifts that I purchased to take home with me... um yea. Let's change "a few" to a third of my suitcase. Whoops.

*I baked 150 cookies this weekend to package up and take to work before I leave. Have I done that yet? No, no I have not.

*While I accomplished nothing productive today, I did Pin an astounding number of things on Pinterest. I can't complain though-- snug on the couch under a blanket with the Christmas tree lights on and Brian next to me watching football was a pretty ideal way to spend this particular Sunday.

*The panic has arrived-- off to frantically overestimate how many outfits I'll need when I'm home!

Rockettes and Pinning on Hump Day, oh my!

Last night was wonderful! If you remember from yesterday, we had our night out in Boston for my birthday-- dinner at Teatro, followed by a little Christmas-y show that I've ALWAYS wanted to see:



I know! I didn't think in a million years that Brian would be up for going to see it, but he knew how badly I wanted to see it and made it happen-- love him! The show was great and complete with an entire scene where the Christmas story was performed... and it was amazing. It makes me a little sad but when you go to Christmas shows these days, the REASON for Christmas is eliminated more and more, so I was NOT expecting a full-on nativity story... which was beautiful! The costumes were amazing and so detailed, there were LIVE AND BREATHING sheep, donkeys and (so help me) camels! This is the best picture I can find from a website:

source

It was just fabulous. Can I just say that these ladies must burn THOUSANDS of calories every night? There were some routines that were non-stop tapping and kicks for a good 10-15 minutes. CRAZINESS. It was also so cute to see tons of little kids there in awe of the ladies and the costumes and their kick line fabulousness. When I called my mom afterwards to tell her about the evening she said she bets those little girls went home last night and dreamed about being a Rockette.

Um, excuse me but I MYSELF went home and dreamed about being a Rockette! At 26, do you think I'm past my prime? I totally used to rock the kickline as a Kitten.

Anywho, on to Pins! I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple today-- enjoy!

google





This reading nook? It makes me swoon.



Source: etsy.com via Katie on Pinterest



Totally doing this for my Seinfeld-obsessed uncle and cousin!





Candy Cane Truffles? Mhmm, I'm listening...





Perfect for the family's pre-Christmas Eve Christmas Fiesta!





Classic and simple-- love it!




A LUNCH CrockPot? Heaven. Queso for lunch, anyone?





I die.




Hahaha so true.


Have a happy Wednesday!

On the downside of my twenties...

Well, y'all... I'm twenty-six. The day came and went and I have to admit that I don't feel a day over... 22.

Except for Friday night when I'd been drinking red wine all evening and someone in our group made the decision that a sports bar would be our next stop and I experienced the dreaded moment of "Gosh, this place is so loud! And look at that girl-- poor thing is going to regret not being able to sit up in her chair tomorrow when those pictures her "friend" is taking show up all over the Facebook. My Lord, if one more person knocks into me..."

Needless to say, we left shortly thereafter.

All in all though, it was a lovely weekend. As I mentioned, we went out for apps and drinks Friday evening with good friends, which was lovely (minus the sports bar) and much needed. Saturday I slept in until NINE-THIRTY!! then headed off to Target for my ritual morning "me time." We debated braving the crowds to shop a bit, but since the majority of our gifts have been purchased (and wrapped!), we decided to stop at Pottery Barn for my big check-mark (Brian's parents' gift) and headed STRAIGHT back home. It was stressful, my friends. People have hit that harried "Get outta my way or I'll knock you down" point, which is oh so sad--

'tis not the reason for the season!!


Our evening progressed to include such finery as takeout Chinese (per my request) and a viewing of my favorite Christmas movies. Brian had never seen A Christmas Story, so considering I can quote that movie from start to finish, we finally sat down and watched it... and he loved it!

Or he faked it, but regardless-- it went well.

Sunday, my actual birthday, we watched football all day while I made snacks, wrapped gifts, wrote out Christmas cards and made a big pot of my Daddy's sauce and meatballs. It was the perfect day.

We're going out tonight in Boston for dinner and a surprise show somewhere, which is my big gift, so I'm pretty excited! We tend to not go all out for birthdays, because we do little stuff for each other every day, all year long. Spending a bunch of money on a gift "just because" doesn't make sense to either of us, so we either wait to buy a great gift, or plan an event that the other person will enjoy (um, tonight!). Maybe I've just never noticed before, but I've had so many people ask in the last few days about what I received as gifts.

Have they lost their minds?

"What did your parents get you? A nice gift? What about Brian? Oh... your gift is going out? You didn't actually GET anything?"

Perhaps I'm just not a materialistic person, but this is driving me up the mother-lovin' wall. An expensive gift does not make for a memorable, wonderful celebration.

My parents rarely give me birthday gifts, and I never expect them-- my birthday is two weeks before Christmas, and the cards that they send me mean more than any random gift or bouquet of flowers they would send. Brian's gift on Sunday was making me breakfast, picking up coffee and bringing me flowers, and helping me with little odds and ends around the house all day. THAT made the day special.

Ah, well. Off of my little tangent for now. I do have pictures from this weekend and for some reason thought that my iPod cord would work to upload them from my camera (my Canon camera... not anything iRelated)... obviously it does not.

'Til later my lovelies!

Spreading Christmas Pinterest Cheer!!

In case you haven't noticed, I've been struggling with a lack of the blog material lately. My days have mainly consisted of work, getting back into a gym routine, and attempting to conquer as much Christmas shopping and preparation EARLY in the month, so I can enjoy the holidays for the REMAINDER of the month.

I've been a busy bee and basically just opted to not blog about mundane little things:
"I went to Trader Joe's and bought great cheese today."
"My Cupcake Red Velvet wine was finally back in stock- yay!"
"13 days 'til I'm home for Christmas and Mexican food and my Lucy dog."

Riveting, right?

However, I've missed the blogginess that I was feeling for awhile there, and few things get me back into the swing of loving my blog than joining up with The Vintage Apple for my ever-faithful Oh, How Pinteresting! Wednesday. I know that I'm not the only one out there who finally feels just fine and dandy and EXCITED about posting all of the Christmas pins you've been saving since oh... August? The Christmas spirit bug has bitten me (and since starting this post I've thought of a list of things to blog about-- love that.)

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I absolutely cannot WAIT to make these! Might have been one of the first things I ever Pinned. Aw-- the nostalgia :)




Source: tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest



'Tis the season, right?




Those little Kisses are one of my fav Christmas candies... beyond addictive.




Love this nativity display.




Katie's Christmas app contribution-- check! A Christmas cheese tree, just for me.




We're having people over for my birthday this weekend, and you can bet your bottom that these babies will be on display!




I DID THIS! I'll post pictures of the final result as soon as I recover from the trauma of attempting to hang enormous boughs of pine over my window using teeny itty bitty nails.




I love this so much. Perhaps I'll attempt it as my one final craft of the season...


Source: squidoo.com via Katie on Pinterest



Christmas cake pops. I can do this... I can do this... I can do this.




Gifts for the girls? Perhaps adding monogram stickers?




No babies for me yet, but I cannot even handle the cuteness.




This is on my to do list for a future Christmas. I love it. Adorable and precious and lovely. love love love.


Happy Hump Day, friends!

Pinteresting Precedes the Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, my lovelies!

Now, while Turkey Day isn't my MOST FAVORITE holiday, it definitely ranks in the top 3 at the very least. How can you not love a holiday in which you
a) indulge in ridiculous amounts of carboriffic foods,
b) kick off the Christmas season as soon as the leftovers are packed away, and
c) take a bit of time to slow down and truly reflect on what you've been blessed with and are thankful for in your life

(A question mark would be proper in ending the sentence above, but I cannot figure out where to put it and think it looks odd wherever. Go ahead and write me up, grammar police.)

Thank goodness today is my early day at work, because I have about a million and one things to do to get ready for tomorrow, including investing in a pastry cutter and rolling pin, dying cream cheese to decorate turkey feathers, picking up copious bottles of wine, baking cornbread and putting my dressing together (without the broth people!! Never let it sit overnight with the broth!!), attempting to make a pecan pie plus the crust completely from scratch, hitting the elliptical for an hour (I figure if I start burning calories early, maybe the burn will just keep on going through tomorrow... right?), watching Home Alone whilst in the throes of my kitchen preparations... and then collapsing on the couch with a glass/bottle of wine.

I have a schedule for all of this (OH, yes ma'am, I do) but if I know me as well as I think I do, tears will have been shed in frustration and angst at some point this evening as I got off schedule and everything just went into the gutter. And then Brian will remind me that we're having frozen pizza for dinner and that it's not the end of the world if I don't finish everything to the minute, and he will follow behind my pathetic little trail of tears with a broom to sweep up my messes and hand me a lovely, refreshing glass of wine while I silently remind myself how thankful I am to have him around (y'all, I'm already knowing that this will happen- I bought him a Thanksgiving card and a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups yesterday as a "You're likely going to need to give him this as an apology for Wednesday night pre-Thanksgiving hysteria").

After all, it wouldn't be the holidays without a whole lotta drama leading up to that lovely presentation of goodies that you knew would inevitably turn out just how you'd expected-- delicious and flavored with a lot of love, effort, and a touch of crazy.

And now-- THE PINS BEFORE THE TURKEY!! I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple in my fav little Oh, How PINTERESTING Wednesday.

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Completely obsessed with this monogrammed bedding.




This is the most perfect idea ever for a nightstand!




LOV-ING this outfit, particularly the sweater/wrap.



gotta love my boys!




Louboutin Holiday Pumps-- I die.




1. He is dreamy. 2. He is PERFECTION just for ever uttering these words.


Source: imdb.com via Katie on Pinterest



“‘Fat’ is usually the first insult a girl throws at another girl when she wants to hurt her. I mean, is ‘fat’ really the worst thing a human being can be? Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’, ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’ or ‘cruel’? Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I’m not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my brain… I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before 'thin'. And frankly, I'd rather they didn't give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons. Let them never be Stupid Girls.” — J.K. Rowling

love. her. want to be her/her best friend.




so, so true...




lovely little holiday friend gift, with a monogram added to the ball?


I'm off to finish up/start my day at work... right after I find breakfast. And a coffee-- a BIIIG coffee. If you don't check back in before tomorrow, have a wonderfully happy and blessed Thanksgiving!!


Thoughtful Thursday Turned Out... Not So Thoughtful.

*With this being Little Man's first Christmas, Brian and I have been on the hunt for the most perfect gifts (sidenote: toys have come A. LONG. WAY. since I was a wee little one). We DO, after all, have to represent as a spectacular uncle and (someday) aunt, so our gifts must be perfection. While Brian wants to buy him a tool bench like he had when he was little, he thinks all of the ones I've shown him are "too babyish" (keep in mind that Colin is 9 months old and will be almost 11 months when he "opens" his gifts):

source

He's thinking something more along the lines of this:


I informed him he can be the cool uncle who buys this NEXT Christmas-- am I wrong, or is that a little too toddler-ish for a nine month old?

Also, Amazon has "Frustration-Free Packaging":
Amazon Has Certified That This Packaging Is Frustration-Free
This item is delivered in an easy-to-open recyclable box and is free of plastic "clamshells" and wire ties. Learn more.

Seriously? I remember WAY too many Christmas mornings anxiously yammering at my dad to "Hurry up! I want my Barbie!" This is amazing! Mindblowing! It must make Christmas morning go by so much more easily. If you already knew about this, kudos to you. If you didn't and will now be shopping solely thru Amazon this holiday season... you're welcome.

*Every holiday I over-volunteer myself to bring dishes. It's inevitable and often ends up with me in tears, taking my frustrations out on Brian-- not fair, I know. Since I like to keep with tradition, this year is like any other!: Green Bean Casserole (Trader Joe's recipe), Stuffed Mushrooms (Pioneer Woman), a Turkey Cheese Ball (in the shape of a turkey... not with turkey... disgusting), potentially rolls, and a dessert. I'll start praying for myself now.

*We have a retreat for work tomorrow. My start time is 7:15am. My "see ya" time is 5:30pm. It's going to be a looong day.

*I still haven't made my turkey wreath. It's so close to Thanksgiving I might just use the burlap for a Christmas project. It's sad and I am the worst blogger/Pinterest-doer ever.

*I believe I might brave the crowds next Friday to get some shopping done. Yes, I like to live on the wild side.

If you stuck in this long, love ya! Hope your Thursday is more exciting than mine :)

Bloggers, Meet Katie... And My Weekend of Aloneness.

You would think that I would begin to blog consistently, considering I have about a bazillion (okay, or like twelve) new followers-- hey to my new people! But no... no. When I'm tired at nighttime, I go home and take a nap then go to the gym then cook dinner then eat dinner then pass out on the couch. It's an exciting life I lead, I promise you.

In honor of my newbies, I'll quickly bring you up to speed on myself. If you're already familiar with the workings around here, feel free to either skip down or refresh yourself on my loveliness.

I'm a 100% Texan living in Boston with my sarcastic, funny, sports-obsessed, wonderful boyfriend of four years:


My job, while not the most fulfilling in the world, has been a great stepping stone into the real world, and I've met some pretty fab people along the way (kindly swing by and visit Ms. Caitlin at The Caitie Experiment-- let her know that THIS Katie sent you!). While I don't believe it's my forever job, it's just right for the time being.

When I'm not workin' or with the boy... I'm a runner. A RUNNER. Y'all I NEVER thought that that would be a title I'd give to myself, but I am. There are definitely days when I hate it and days when I flat out don't do it, but most evenings (or 5am mornings) you can find me on the treadmill, adding up the miles:

Pinterest has recently become an enormous obsession/time-sucker/procrastination tool, and I love to hate it. Actually, I love to love it. The site may make me enormously unproductive, but it has sparked my creativity like nobody's business!

Having a degree in English automatically makes me a semi-nerd and reinforces my love for reading and writing (that novel that I swear I'll someday finish and sell and then you'll see me on... oh my word, I was going to type "on Oprah" and realized that my dream of chatting with Oprah about my mega-successful book will never happen.... unless she has me on her new "Oprah's Life Class" to educate her followers about my awesomeness. Hm... yes, we'll go with that.). The blog? It is also an outlet for the days that I need to get words out but really don't have too much to say.

Since I'm not yet married (I swear someday he'd better put a ring on it) and have no babies, my other interests include cooking and baking up a storm, stressing about decorating our new apartment, drinking the wine, training to run my first half marathon (this February! Oh my word!), quoting movies and schooling Brian (the boyfriend) on classics such as A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and The Wizard of Oz (pre-me, he had never seen them. ANY of them. It's like he lived in a cave as a child.), and making as many trips as humanly (and financially) possible back to Texas to visit my family (this inevitably includes consuming obscene amounts of Chick-fil-A and Mexican food).

At the end of the day, I am to be as good of a daughter, sister, girlfriend and friend as possible, while playing modern day Suzy Homemaker. This basically means I try to cram in as much domesticity as I can while balancing the daily chaos. While this sometimes works out perfectly, it often times ends with me mumbling into a wine glass while throwing clothes in the washer at 10pm and trying to get dinner served in the meantime. Whatevs-- I keep it real!



I want to buy this and hang it on my wall tonight. That's how badly I desire to have this in my possession.

"But Katie! What about Brian? What on earth will he think?!"
Oh, my lovelies. First of all, I have managed to find a man who could not give a flying flip how I decorate our place. We have an unspoken understanding that I'd never spray paint anything neon, bring in any furniture that looked or felt uncomfortable, or hang anything on the wall pertaining to furry animals. Honestly? I can EASILY handle that.

Second (ly? of all?), boyfran is away for the weekend! I'm rallying the excitement because I'm really not ALL that excited, but I'm pretending like I am! He's heading to Chicago with a cousin and a best friend to visit the cousin's brother and go to the U of I football game tomorrow and drag into the city on Sunday once they've conquered their hangovers. He'll find his way home some time Monday evening when I'll pick him up at the airport and introduce him to Our Home previously known as Our Boring, Undecorated Apartment. I plan to busy myself like crazy the next couple of days, between shopping for decor and tackling two Pinterest projects:

this BEAUTIMOUS wreath
(I know I said it last week but really truly this week it will be mine)



and THIS
(which reminds me to print a picture of Tejas before I leave today...)



I'm a little stressed because I don't remember how to cook for one person. And I don't like the whole being alone at night thing. However, I plan to consume wine and eat snacks and clean and shop and decorate our barren, plain, stark white walls, and make treats for Brian to come home to and enjoy.

Because, like I said, I live in a constant state of domesticated chaos.

Happy Friday, my lovelies! Be prepared for potential drunken Pinterest-fueled update at some point this weekend. I'll need to show my progress (or failures... but hopefully progress) to someone!

Oh Friday, why do you battle me so?


My friends, today did not start off all that brightly.

Since Brian's working from home, I had the chance to drive his car to the train super early so I can leave work early-- this means waking up at 4:50, leaving the apartment by 5:50, being on the train by 6ish, and getting to my desk by 7. We decided last night around 7 that I would be doing this today... which makes no sense as to why I opted to stay up until TWELVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING watching the movie Bad Teacher with the boy.

sidenote: It was quite raunchy but I literally laughed out loud at several parts.

Seriously. It was like I couldn't make myself go to bed because he was staying up late, though his (perfectly logical) reasoning was that he didn't have to be awake until 8:45 this morning, and even then his only requirement of the day was to shower, move to the couch, and be logged in to his work website or whatever by 9.

Anywho, I was a warrior and woke up, got showered/dressed/made up, and even managed to curl my hair. I bagged a Diet Coke for the commute and was on my way.

Dark Cloud #1. The normally nonexistent Friday morning traffic was very existent this morning, turning a 10 minute drive into nearly 20 minutes.

Dark Cloud #2. While I was waiting in line to take my ticket at the parking garage, a lady in an enormous Escalade in front of me threw her car into reverse and floored her monstrosity backwards. Considering we were only about two feet apart and there were cars bumper to bumper behind me (leaving me with nowhere to go), my heart jumped just about into my throat. I just KNEW she was going to hit me and blared my horn at her (which I never do... this aged me). She leaned out of her window and waved and said "Oops! Didn't see you!" and just drove on in to the garage. Frazzled nerves at 6am do not a good morning make.

Dark Cloud #3. Once I'd made it to the train and found a seat, I cracked open my lovely, frosty Diet Coke and sipped as I read my book. The train took a good unexpected lurch at the same moment I had lifted the can to my mouth and BAM! Diet Coke all. down. my. cheek. Thankfully there weren't many passengers yet so I could discreetly dry things off, but still-- seriously? A sticky DC bath was not what I'd ordered.

On the bright side, it's Friday-- lovely, glorious, rejuvenating Friday. I'm heading out for Starbucks and my day inevitably goes by quickly when I'm only working until 3:30 (and the morning passes by oh-so-quickly when my brain isn't 100% awake for the first two hours I'm at my desk). I'm planning to make a Target and Trader Joe's stop after work because we're doing it up big tonight with homemade pizza and Dateline. It may make us sound like we're oldies, but nights like this are what we look forward to ALL. WEEK. LONG.

As for the weekend, we have little going on. Tomorrow we're going to a wine festival in Boston for a few hours, then I'm cooking for our first little romantic date night since we moved to our new apartment (though I've been informed the Bama/LSU game will be our background music. Nothing's more romantic than the SEC, so why not?)

On the menu?

Pioneer Woman's Short Ribs in Wine and Cream. Have mercy.

Then Sunday I'm planning to tackle my first Thanksgiving-based Pinterest project:



... and watch football. And make something in the crockpot that I don't have to mess with all day and potentially a good, heart dip. Because it's just what my hips need.

Happy weekend, y'all!

Oh, how Pinteresting!

My Pinterest obsession continues. Out of either boredom or a tiny bit of spare time this past week, I've been Pinning like crazy.

On the bright side, my cup runneth over with creative ideas to try and recreate in the next few months.

On the down side, I'll likely just roll this pressure to be creative up into one big ball with the other stresses of the season and wind up curled in the fetal position on the floor one night with burlap hot glued to my hands and a half-eaten jalapeno popper grilled cheese on a plate next to me (Pinterest? I blame you for knowledge of such creations!).

I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple for Pinteresting Wednesday, so without further ado... MY PINS!!

google





I would not lie about such a thing. DI-VINE.




Love pink. Love black. Such a fun outfit!




I take public transportation twice daily. This is my entertainment.




This coat? It melts my fashion heart.





amen.


Source: google.com via Katie on Pinterest



just lovely. not sure what it would say about ME... but lovely all the same.




New Year's Eve? Yes, please!




story of my life.


Source: etsy.com via Katie on Pinterest



I die over the cuteness!




Brian's out of town next weekend. This is my project. Cue the self-induced burlap hysteria I predict to ensue.

Happy Hump Day, y'all!!