9.30.2011

Kentucky Comes To Ohio..



It's about time.

After months and months of emailing, texting, phone calls, "virtual shopping dates", and facebooking...super sweet Jess is making the 3 hr drive from her stompin' grounds in Kentucky to our house here in Columbus. 






Can I get a *Woooo-Hooooo*<--- Vicki Gunvalson style, maybe?


{this is how excited me and Billy are}


Although we haven't met yet, it still feels like we have. Ever since we started following eachothers blogs, we became instant friends.


We may have not grown up together as kids....


or caused chaos together in our wild and crazy teenage years 
and in college....




but she has been nothing but a great friend to me and I really do consider her one of my best friends. Blog world is pretty awesome I must say. Jess was able to get off of work a couple hours early today to make the drive here and get settled in before going out to dinner with a bunch of Billy and I's friends. The crazy OCD type A personality that I am, I already planned most of the weekend out so we can get in as much fun in before she leaves...

We have dinner reservations tonight at a restaurant Jess has always wanted to go to and I may have a few little other surprises up my sleeve. Some of Billy's family are also coming in town to party so it's about to be an EPIC weekend.


You better believe there will be plenty of this:


with yummy eats & good friends too.


and of course...
 I'm going to show her how to tailgate like a real OSU Buckeye at THE Ohio State University! and she is going be hooked & forget about UK football all together.






Heck, even Rocky is excited...




it's PARTY TIME!


So tell me...who all has met a blog friend before?! If you haven't, would you want to?Share your thoughts & experiences with me :)


I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.

{PS-SW airlines is on my shitlist for not allowing my amazing Stephy to join us. Steph, we will make sure to send you lots of abnoxious picture texts. hugs. ;)}


xo.

9.29.2011

Vajazzling + You know you lookin' at a Winner...



Winner, Winner,
I can't miss, can't lose, can't miss..

let's all thank Jamie Foxx for that being stuck in our heads the rest of the day.


As you all know, today I am announcing the winner of my monogrammed lucite tray giveaway {I bet you are sick of me mentioning it by now.} But first I want to discuss this new concept with you that I was introduced to recently...


::Vajazzling::



The act of applying glitter and jewels to a woman's nether regions for aesthetic purposes.
Yeah, I'm not kidding.



GOOGLE at your own risk.
There are some rather interesting pics of this.







This is no joke, my friends. Supposedly, this is the new up and coming trend. There is even a website about it now. I first heard about this because of Cindy from Real Housewives of New York. She owns Completely Bare, the laser hair removal spa, where they also do this so called vajeweling..vajazzling..whatever. How would you like THAT job ladies? I'm a girl that loves her blingy bling bling and is typically welcoming of new trends, but THIS? Unless they were REAL diamonds going down there, I'm not interested.





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I remember in middle school putting designs like that on my arm as fake tats. They were rather annoying and itchy if I remember correctly. Here are some strange  completely normal questions if you are interested in Vajazzling:


Will vajazzling hurt the man?
How long do the vajazzling crystals stay on?
Can I vajazzle over my tattoos?
Where exactly do the vajazzling crystals go?
What happens when the hair grows back?
What kind of adhesive can be used?
Is vajazzling safe?


and my personal favorite, Is vajazzling for real?




Now that you all probably think I'm off my rocker, I leave the concept open for debate.


Would YOU vajazzle? Have you heard of this before?

They even have started the male version of this. Can you guess what the term is called?
Ba ha ha.



Anywho...

The winner for this giveaway was chosen by Random.org. Special thanks to Shari for teaching little ole me how to even use such a thing. You know it's legit because it only took me 1 hour not a long time to count through all the comments to determine the winner. Please know I wish I could give this tray to each of you that entered.



and the lucky gal is!





......









                    

MEGAN at Fried Green Pickles!


Congrats Megan. Email me ASAP sister.
*Thank you to everyone who entered*

xo.

9.28.2011

find {JOY} in everyday.


Hey friends.

Just a little reminder before getting into my favorites of the week to enter my monogrammed lucite tray giveaway with Sweet Tea Paperie if you haven't already done so!

enter here




TODAY is the last day to enter.

The winner will be posted tomorrow & notified via email.
so exciting.


Now for my Pinterest Favorites this week:



honeycrisp apple sangria




this breathtaking room Kiki designed for her daughter.
it is one of my favorite little girl rooms EVER.
Go check it out.




this bracelet I bought from H&M last week for $5!
I saw mah gal Chelsea pinned it and thought I'd share :)

ps-go visit her blog..she may have been pinned something or someone that is familiar to you ;) thanks Chels. mwah.



thick socks. boots. and leggings.



a shoe stroage ottoman 
 SHUT. THE. FRONT. DOOR!

this would make my husband really happy. He then would get like 1/4 of our closet with some of my shoes being moved out ;)



what's not to love?
of course I'm in love with the pops of red :)

and it's so brighttt....picture me saying "oooohhhh...ahhhh...."



I've decided I'm going to pray every single night until we conceive that our future daughter is this adorable. TMI?  maybe.
I will love her anyways if she isn't, but seriously, this girl is PRECIOUS and the dress? Le sigh {and I'm going to stop talking about our pretend child we don't have...now.}



...for a good laugh.



this triple necklace is swoon worthy!



motivation for the rest of the week! :)


link up with Michelle @ The Vintage Apple to join in on the fun.


Only 2 days left to get our house ready before Jess comes to visit. I'm so excited but just hope we can get everything done in time. Billy has been so understanding with my long list of things to do and has helped out so much. I can't wait to finally meet her {even though it feels like we already have}, show her around my city, and introduce her to my 2 loves...

these boys :) 



xo.

9.27.2011

A Peak Into My Office! {Before & After}

Good morning, buttercups.

Last night was rather interesting. A guy came out from a water company to test the water in our home and show us how 'hard' it is. Has anyone ever had this one done or am I the only stupid one? A lady came around to our neighborhood one night asking for water samples so I gave her one from our house. Later on, I got a call asking if we'd allow a man to come to our house for approximately an hour to test our water and in return we would get a $20.00 gift card to our place of choice. $20.00...Ok, sure..I thought. Well, turns out he was there to try and sell us a water equipment system for $60.00 per month. I should've known. He showed us how much chlorine and chemicals are actually in our water and it was repulsive. Just. what. I. wanted. to. know. I wondered if he was bs'ing at all or exaggerating.

We didn't end up buying it but said we'd "talk it over", which means no. He did say 2 things that stuck with me: bottled water is the same as tap {except for Aquafina} and the only thing a Brita does is clear out the chlorine from your water. Hmmm...alright. Not sure if I believe all of that {even though I'm super naive}, but whatevs.

Anyway, I think I forgot to show you all some of my office space in our house since we've updated a few things. We still have a long way to go, but we've made some progress considering the entire room was red before.


Here is how it looked when we moved in...

BEFORE:

{Note: these pictures were all taken with my iPhone so you aren't getting the best lighting & quality..sorry!}






NOW:



Recognize that IKEA light? Not sure if it's going to stay. It's a little bigger than I anticipated, so I may get something smaller and keep it for a different room later on.

...that black cube on the left by the window is Rocky's signature spot in our house. He stands/lays on this for hours, and we're always greeted with his cute little face here in the window when we get home from work everyday.




this bookcase was black -we painted to white.

In the top middle picture frame with the green polka dots - you can't see Billy's picture on the left due to my awful picture taking skills, but it says "Mr. Right" as a caption, and then on my side it says, "Mrs. Always Right" ;) His aunt got this for us..she's a wise woman.




{this lighting is awful but these bookshelves were black originally as well}

....see that glass container right up there?
that's full of "well wishes" to Billy and I from one of my bridal showers! They are fun to read from time to time.




{missing in this picture is our Macbook Pro...my most favorite desk accesory. l-o-v-e that computer.}

I'm head over heels in love with this desk, but finding a chair that I love to go with it has been rather difficult. I've been on the hunt for one that I'm smitten with for what feels like the longest time. I finally found one that I think I'm going to get....

picture this acrylic chair:



What do you think?

I need your input if you think it will look in this room!
....I will add a big fluffy or sequin pillow on it too. :)






this is also currently on it's way to me...



Anthro's monogrammed mug in a "K" that I will use for pens/pencils :)


We still have things to get more for this room like different drapes, artwork, etc. but we really like how much brighter it is in this room with the tan walls, versus the red, and how we made it more of an office space than sitting area. It seems to be more functional for us.

Do you like it?

...and what do you think about the chair? Do you have any other suggestions for chairs for me?! I'd love any input!

{but be nice..I'm no pro decorator over here.}

*Ladies* If you till haven't entered my monogrammed lucite tray giveaway...you still have time! Make sure to leave a comment on this post. Good luck! :)





xo.


9.26.2011

Soft Chewy Delish {Pumpkin Spice Cookies}



 


...did that help perk you up on this Monday morning at all?

I dunno 'bout you, but I'm lacking sleep today and felt the need to post something asthetically pleasing for ya'll. One of the better things I did this weekend (besides going to the OSU game and coming out with a W) was when I decided to make pumpkin spice cookies in my new shiny red Kitchenaid mixer.

Side note: Have you ever made fun of your parents for getting excited about pots n' pants or other various kitchen appliances? I totally did and am paying for it. I thought I'd be atleast 60 before that day came. Nope, it came now..a little early. I never knew it was possible to be in love with an applicance, until I opened up Mrs. Red aka the Kitchenaid.

Anyway, before I share the recipe, here's some of my weekend views...

O.O.T.N:


{top and belt F21, wide leg denim H&M, Booties TJ Maxx}

you may or may not see this pic floating around on Pinterest.
 If you repin it, I'll love you forever.



{Visiting with family/friends}



{a healthy juice made up of apples, oranges, carrots, and peaches, makes for a refreshing Saturday morning}




{a new way of organizing makeup brushes: get a small square vase - fill with whole ground coffee beans}

Take my word for it: your bathroom will smell heavenly.
That is if you like the smell of coffee.

I absolutely LOVE this simple little change. Genius.
thank you Pinterest.. you've come to the rescue yet again.


I also donated about 6 bags of clothes yesterday. We were starting to run out of room in our guest bedrooms so a full clean out was necessary. I reorganized all 3 bedroom closets, dressers, and our basement - which also was a place for me to hoard more clothes.

I was exhausted by the time I was finished and decided I need to slow it down on the shopping excursions. That's when the pumpkin cookies came in. A much needed treat :)



{see Mrs. Red? She's a beauty, isn't she?}


Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 For the Glaze:
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
  3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
  4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

These cookies were my first pumpkin related bake of the year and they reminded me how much I love this time of year. The smell of pumpkin & cookies in the oven = perfect! This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. I decided to only put icing on 1 dozen, and keep the other 2 dozen plain. They are delish even without the icing.


Tomorrow I'm sharing some updates/projects we've been doing around the house. I may be MIA later on in the week though because I have about 50 things to get done before Jess gets here on Friday! Hope you all understand. I will be reading your blogs though, I promise. :)

Also, my new blog design will be up soon. I'm looking forward to showing you all!

**If you haven't entered my awesome GIVEAWAY with Sweet Tea Paperie--make sure you do so before Weds!**


9.23.2011

Fill In The Blank {Friday}

Happy Friday everyone!!


Thank you all who have already entered my monogrammed lucite tray giveaway. I was so happy to see how much you guys enjoy this giveaway :) I knew you would. Today I'm participating in "fill in the blank friday" @ the little things we do, but first I want to share some pictures from the Bluejackets game we went to earlier this week.


I've gotten pretty lucky with scoring tickets this past week so let me brag for a moment. I mentioned earlier this week, that we got 4 tickets to the Bluejackets vs. Washington Capitals NHL game. We had a great time. Our seats were right behind our teams bench. As much as I am a true girly girl, I just love sporting events.





Behind college football, hockey is my next favorite sporting game to attend. What are your favorites? I'm too impatient to sit through baseball - I need more "in my face" action, I guess.

I also got a call yesterday asking if I wanted 2 tickets to the *OSU* vs. Colorado game on Saturday. Ummm...YES please. Of course. My girlfriend is having a tailgate party before the game and then I'll be heading to the game - I can't wait! please let us win this game.


Columbus ladies~Who's going to tailgate with me?! ALL is welcome!


This is really random, but hey, it's Friday and I thought it was super cute. My good friend Stephy all the way over in Texas texted me this.

She found Rocky on coasters....



How hilarious is that?
Looks just like him!!


Anyway, here's my fill in's for today.

Also...if you haven't entered my giveaway yet make sure you do so!!






1.   The best thing I did all week was     be productive at work & home. That counts, right? Me and Billy painted 2 pieces of furniture, cleaned, and organized our house. All for Jess's big arrival next Friday. Woo!.

2.    Good friends and family (oh, and food)     make me super happy.

3.  Pets are   your best friend and the definition of unconditional love .

4.    My husband (and everything! I love life)   is the best thing about my life.

5.  With the cooler weather I am looking forward to   actually staying in on a friday night and watching movies, decorating for Halloween and Christmas, and going to a pumpkin patch for our yearly tradition.

6.  Something that's on my "wish list" right now is     a Canon big girl camera   .

7.  This weekend I am going to    have date night tonight with Billy, shop for things for our house, tailgate with friends and attend the OSU game, and get the house ready for Miss Jess's arrival! Eek!.


9.22.2011

Monogrammed Lucite Tray GIVEAWAY!


Well, I'm sticking to my promise friends.

I've mentioned in the past I don't do giveaways a lot, but this one is for great reason. I've reached {450} followers AND my 1 year blogiversary is next month. I think it's time to show some appreciation to all of my favorite readers...what do you think?! ;) This blog has turned into more than just a place to share to my thoughts & life experiences, it's helped me create some absolutely wonderful friendships and I'm so grateful for that.

I'm so excited to announce this giveaway to you guys.


Who all has seen the lucite trays that are so trendy these days?!


{via Pinterest}


I know I have and I've wanted one badly for our house. I've seen them range from $70.00-$150.00 and was absolutely THRILLED when Amanda with Sweet Tea Paperie offered to giveaway one of these amazing trays for your home for one lucky reader of mine!


It's actually an ironic story how this happened. As you all know, Billy and I just got back from visiting Boston. Well, I saw that my cousin {who's beautiful home I showed you pictures of} had one of these trays in her home and I fell in love with it. I randomly came across Sweet Tea Paperie when we got back from our trip and guess where the store is out of? Yup....Boston!

Sweet Tea Paperie has some of the cutest monogrammed products {I KNOW how you Southern Belle's are about monograms-here yaa go!}....from the lucite trays to platters, plates, iPhone cases, notecards, invitations, cutting boards, etc. I pretty much want 1 of everything on their website. Sweet Tea Paperie has some awesome patterns & color combos you can chose from as well!

The lucite trays are so versatile & trendy right now that naturally they are my favorite. You can use them to display some pretty liquor bottles in your home or to put small books/office accesories on to jazz up the room. You can even use it as a serving tray when you have company over. Keep this tray for yourself or it would make a wonderful wedding gift! The value of this 12 X 12 tray is $75.00.


Here's a look at the exact lucite tray & different patterns you can win by entering this giveaway! :)



Amazing, right?
...and that's not even all the patterns.


The winner will have her choice of pattern and personalization. You can mix and match patterns from any of the products you see on the website!


Here's how to enter:

-Must be a follower of Keep Calm & Carry On (1 entry)
-Follow me on Twitter @ katiewkrysh (1 entry)
-"Like" Sweet Tea Paperie on Facebook and leave a post telling her I sent you! (1 entry)
-Follow sweetteapaperie on Twitter (1 entry)
-Blog or tweet about this giveaway & leave me the link! (1 entry)

Please post all of your entries on this post in ONE COMMENT. Make sure your EMAIL ADDRESS is listed/on your blogger profile or I will not be able to contact you.


**COUPON CODE**
Do you like something else Sweet Tea Paperie has to offer and want to order something now?! Maybe an iPhone case or cutting board? They are offering you $20 off any purchase of $50 or more if you enter LOVENOTES at checkout! Pretty awesome if you ask me. Here's a peek at other products they offer...





{iPhone case & cutting board}




This giveaway will end Wednesday, September 28th at midnight.



......Good Luck!!!! :)


xo.