Juicy Couture

After obsessing over the j.crew plumage skirt only to realize there is no possible way Mr. K would let me spend $1000 on a skirt, I decided to look for alternatives. This is the best alternative so far - the Juicy Couture faux ostrich feather skirt which retails for $298 from Bloomingdales. I am loving this skirt for the holidays and beyond!

Piper - Cyber Monday 2010

Perhaps I am *slightly* obsessed with my 14 month old boxer, Piper. She now sleeps in bed with us. She is so content on our bed we can hardly get her off it anymore! Here she is guarding our bed while I booted up the computer for some Cyber Monday shopping!

Success: Turkey Cupcakes!

I suppose at this point everyone is in Christmas mode but I had to share my Thanksgiving attempt at baking. This one was a total success.

This is how the turkey cupcakes were supposed to look:
And these were mine: (not too far off!)

Here's how I did it:

1. Baked devil's food chocolate cupcakes
2. Let cool, frosted with chocolate frosting
3. Squeezed candy corn into the frosting of double stuff oreos
4. Painted faces on nutter butters with gels
5. Placed the nutter in the cupcake, closer to the front of the cupcake
6. Put the oreo with the candy corn in it behind the nutter, closer to the back of the cupcake
   

Betsey Johnson

Considering the only places I ever go are to work, the gym and the airport, I have little use for such a fancy peep toe bootie but I do quite like these.

Betsey Johnson WALFORD available on ideeli today!

Shopping Bag

The Monday after Thanksgiving I am having a nasty cyst removed from the back of my dominant (left) hand. I am SO nervous that my hand will be sore and lifeless so I am making preparations in advance so that I don't look ugly. What if I can't put eye make up on? What if I can't simultaneously blow dry and style my hair? What if I can't put contacts in? Oh dear! My first instinct was to purchase new glasses so that at least if the rest of my appearance is terrible, I will maintain some stylishness in my new Tory Burch frames!

Thursday's Material Wishlist Vol. 19

This week has been amazing yet exhausting! Last night I didn't make it back to my house until 1:30 AM - a very late night for me! Thankfully, I made it into work just half an hour late this morning. I take Piper to daycare on Fridays so I dropped her off and planned to leave the office around 3:00 in order to get home at a reasonable hour and kick off the weekend ... only to discover today is NOT Friday!

As today is Thursday, a Material Wishlist is in order! Today's wishlist is hereby dedicated to J.crew. The new catalog came in the mail and it was filled with beautiful holiday items!

1. Polka dot back seam tights. LOVE!

2. Velvet skirt. The charcoal color is TO.DIE.FOR.
3. Plaid Eliza tee. It doesn't get more "holiday" than red & black tartan.

4. Merino lace tank. Perfect for layering under a velvet blazer.

5. Leather and wool herringbone oxfords. Not necessary but totally unexpected and cute.

6. Gold cowl neck top. Again, perfect under a blazer or sweater.

7. Jeweled sash.

8. For daytime: fair isle sweater.

9. Last but not least - draped sleeve top.

Christmas List

Dear Mr. K,

I've been good this year.

Project: Kitchen Remodel 2010 (update)

I would say at this point our little project is about 80% complete! We just have to put on the finishing touches (backsplash, hood over the range, curtains, area rugs and furniture) and we'll have a completely brand spankin' new kitchen!

Here are some images of what we started with:

1. A very cute puppy ... and ugly linoleum. We learned when we ripped it up that this wasn't even the original ugly linoleum. There was another layer beneath!

2. A lovely mother/daughter duo "complemented" by hideous 1980s wood trim and a window valance stuffed with tissue paper. Blech.
3. The "Kristiyns" posing in front of almond colored appliances, faux butcher block counters, and honey colored cabinets with brass hardware. A pretty rough looking backdrop!

And the after!!

1. The view from down the hall - white cabinets, hardwood floors, granite counters! Updated and welcoming!

2. A refrigerator and freezer combo that are spacious and actually OPEN! Stainless appliances, white window trim ... everything is pretty and newwwwww!

3. Appears we'll also need to add lazy susan reinstallation to the to-do list! It is the black hole in the corner. Other than that - NEW NEW NEW!

4. A close up on the granite. Disclaimer: I am not a photographer!

Philosophical Friday: Part 5

I'm fresh off a business trip to California and though it's been over a year since we've had a "Philosophical Friday", this sign warranted one! I saw this one in a ladies' room while visiting a dairy farm located just south of Fresno, CA. Don't ask what I was doing there!

Trick or Treat! Piper - Halloween 2010

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! This was our third Halloween in our house but the first we were actually home to see trick or treaters come! We had a ton of kids and Piper really enjoyed guarding the candy by the door and waiting for the next kids to arrive.

We had SO so many kids come! My husband said he saw a hayride full of kids driving through the neighborhood ... they definitely made a drop off on our road. Thankfully we were stocked with a huge variety! We had so much we even have some left over.