1.31.2012

Snappy Straps Giveaway



I love blogging.

I really do. 
Especially at times like this when I get to give BACK to you
for reading KC&CO.


Last night, not only did I hit 900 followers, but I made it to 904!
That is at least 10 followers gained in one day.
LOVING it, sweet friends.
 Thank you for your support and for reading KC&CO!

I'm pretty picky about what I give away because a. I want it to relate to my blog and my life and b. I want it to be appreciated. :) I may not be able to do a giveaway every week, but I do want you to know I appreciate the comments you leave everyday and the emails I receive. If this giveaway doesn't interest you, just remember that when I hit 1,000 followers, there will probably be another one. I mean, 1,000...that's a pretty big deal. We must celebrate that, right?! Right.


Anyways-as you know, I finally got my Canon Rebel t3i for Christmas. Well, who wants to carry that boring black strap around? I looked around online for a cute camera strap to buy for it and realized it wasn't the easiest thing in the world. There are limited shops that had what I was looking for and these straps don't come that cheap. I finally found Leah's shop, Snappy Straps Designs, on Etsy.

Her wait list was over a month long {due to the holidays!}. Whaaaaa?!
Then I realized, she's the best of the best on Etsy, in regards to camera straps!

I did my time in waiting and finally received this beauty..
(her wait list isn't that long now, only 7-10 days)
and look at my little model
sporting the strap...
(he will probably kill me for this)

Blue is a good look on him, no?


In addition to mine, Leah gave me another gorgeous strap
to give away to ONE lucky reader...

Woo-hoo!


You have a chance to win this camera strap
c/o Snappy Straps Designs:





**Strap is padded with lens cap pocket
**Strap measures 26- 26.5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide

I'm loving this color combo.
and that it kinda resembles the breast cancer symbol ;)


Don't have a DSLR camera? This would be a great gift, too!
...or keep it, because who knows, maybe one day soon you'll get one. :)


To enter:

 Be a follower of Keep Calm and Carry On (mandatory)

*"Like" Keep Calm and Carry On on Facebook (+1 entry)
*Follow me on Twitter (@katiewkrysh) (+1 entry)
*Tweet about this giveaway (+1 entry)
*Blog about this giveaway and include a link back to my blog (2 extra entries)

Please leave seperate comments for each entry.

This giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, Feb. 7th! Winner will be notified via email, so make sure you have yours listed.


GOOD LUCK!!!




1.30.2012

You Know A Weekend Is Well Spent....


When...
#1. You watch 2 movies in 1 night: Ides of March and Bad Teacher
(...and still fall asleep before the clock hits midnight.)
#2. You are actually with it enough not hungover to make it to a morning spin class
(...and get your butt kicked and actually enjoy it.)
#3. You finally find new curtains for your family room after searching for months
(can we say World Market?! thank you.)
#4. You build a fort in your family room like you're 12 years old again.
..it's not like we do this every weekend, FYI ;)



...and admit it was a pretty damn good time
for a Saturday night.
#5. You indulge in some late night fro yo because it sounds more appealing
than an actual dinner.

(my fav mix is: chocolate and raspberry fro yo with choc chips, strawberries, and oreos on top)
 Love in a cup. pure love.
#6. You spend excessive time in Hobby Lobby picking out supplies
for upcoming DIY projects
(...and don't even care how much time has passed because you have all day to do anything.)



#7. You drink wine alone

hey..I have my best ideas when I have one glass of wine
and no intentions on leaving the house.
#8. You finish reading the Hunger Games and then relate your own life to the story.
Like, telling your husband to give your dog more food
 because he NEEDS more food to survive
(...hint: I did that.)
#9. You actually have time to paint your own nails
...versus paying someone to do it.

My new fav nail polish
"Fly" by OPI (in Nicki M. collection)


So, what have we learned here?

You know your weekend is well spent when...
 you do a whole lot of NOTHING.


(..these kind of weekends are necessary
once in a while, don't you think?)



Last but certaintly not least--

Let's talk about about how much I'm crushing on my new blog design.
KC&CO got a makeover.


So, what's new here?

<---On my left sidebar, new networking icons.
Find me on twitter, pinterest, and facebook.

<---Personalized pages are added for: About Me, Our Wedding, Fashion, Recipes, and DIY projects. You can click there to see posts related to those topics! It's much more reader friendly and makes it easier to find things you are looking for.

<---A new BUTTON. If you currently have my old button on your blog...thank you, and I love you for it. But, will you do me a favor and update it to this new button?

<---Don't you just love the graphics with the arrows and pastel/glitter confetti dots?!
I've been loving pastel colors lately..mint green, light pink, and some gold?
Right up my alley!


I loved my last design, but this year I really wanted to switch things up and go with a more simplistic design. Tone things down and clean it up a bit you could say. I owe all of this wonderfulness to...


my good friend Drew


Drew is extremely talented and is one of the sweetest girls I've met here in blog land. She just started doing blog designs (she's also an amazing design contributor for Jen at Made By Girl...amazing, right?!) so if you are interested in getting a new design, you better hurry up and contact her!

Thank you, Drew.
I'm in love with my design.


Only 7 more followers
until I announce my giveaway! So close!
*Spread the news for an extra entry: tweet, blog, anything.

thanks, friends!






1.26.2012

GROWTH.





Growth.


...that's my 'word' for 2012.


The other day as me and Billy were driving in the car, I told him this year, for me, is all about growing as a person.
challenging myself.
taking myself out of my comfort level.
trying new things.
taking risks.
 living {and growing} in the moment.

Pinned Image


As most of you know, I got injured badly at the end of last September playing soccer. Sometimes it takes an injury for you to realize how lucky you are to be in good health. All my life I've played sports, eat pretty healthy, and been in decent shape. I run a lot and have participated in various 5k's, but I have yet to actually challenge myself. When I got injured, I thought about not being able to run again, and was aggravated that I never tried to run a half marathon or push myself past my limit.

This year I'm changing that.


I've decided to run in the Columbus Cap City half marathon this May, alongside Alicia, Holly, and my cousin Megan. It's time for me to push myself and take advantage of being young and healthy.
 No excuses.
I don't want to be just comfortable.
I want to do something I have yet to do, while I still can.

Ooh, and you better believe we will have awesome hot pink shirts
that contain a saying like, "Bloggers do it better".


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It's not just about fitness, either.


I plan on growing as a person as well.

I wish I could share with you what I'm trying to do, but I can't right now, until I know it's a for sure thing. But trust me...when I know, you'll know. It has been something I've been wanting to do for year now and I pray it falls into place.


(my fav quote)


Other various things I would like to do to grow are:
-save more money
-spend less
-work harder


So, what is your 'word' for 2012?

I encourage you to take some time to think about what you want out of 2012.

 ...then share with me. :)

 How will you make this year better, more memorable, than last year?
How do you want to grow as a person?


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1.25.2012

For the {LOVE} of...






Wednesday's are awesome.


*half way through the week...
*2 days until the weekend...
*One tree hill tonight...{yep, still obsessed}
...and WILW/Oh, How Pinteresting!



I'm {loving}: the support (blogs/tweeting) that I've gotten from many of you to get me to 900 followers!
I'm almost there and then it's GIVEAWAY time :)
(not sure what I'm talking about? if you tweet or blog about me reaching 900 followers, you get an extra entry for my upcoming giveaway!)


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I'm {loving}: that Billy and I randomly decided to paint an accent wall in our family room last night. We got it done within an hour and it looks so much better.




I'm {loving}: that my knee isn't stopping me from running or my workouts.
It's a good feeling.


I'm {loving}: these cute planners from Sweet Tea Paperie. If I would've seen these before I ordered my Erin Condren planner, I would've got one. They are so cute!





I'm {loving}: that in 2 weeks I will be here {Naples, FL}
with Billy, Steph, and BBFT.






As for my favorite pins this week?

It's ALL about spring fashion
&
white on white.





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What are YOU loving this week?

There is always something to {love and be grateful for}







1.24.2012

Burlap Name Pillow {and Clean Eating Muffins}




Hi friends!


How is your Tuesday?!


Just somethin quick to share with you today. Are you all lovers of anything and everything Etsy, like I am? Etsy is fabulous. Everything is so creative, unique, and I love supporting small business owners! I could seriously spend all day on it.

I ordered this burlap pillow with our last name on it from an amazing Etsy store called Next Door To Heaven. I finally ordered it around Christmas after stalking it for about 6 months.

It just had to be mine.






I paired it with a floral pillow (TJ Maxx) and 1 of the new chevron pillows I just got this weekend (Target).

What do you think?
Are you a fan of burlap?

If you want one for your home,
visit Amy's shop: here.

She has so many cute designs to choose from.



Moving right along in the world of randomville....
(which is where I'm at today)


I can't leave without sharing a recipe for Tasty Tuesday.
Over the weekend, I made these Clean Eating Cranberry Oat Bran Muffins.
{recipe via The Gracious Pantry}








 95 calories per muffin folks.

Please note: if you haven't had muffins made with whole wheat flour, they take some getting used to. They don't taste like your typical muffin...but on the other hand, they don't have all the added sugar & other "no-no" ingredients either, like your typical muffin does.

whole wheat flour > white flour.

:)


Have a great day loves.

*thank you to everyone who is tweeting about my upcoming giveaway! I've added your extra entry for when I hit 900 followers :) keep 'em coming..I really want to post this giveaway!





1.23.2012

Weekend in Photos!









Hola friends!

Happy Monday :)


How was everyones weekend? Ours was all over the place! On Friday, me and Billy stayed in and watched Moneyball together. We liked it, but both agreed it wasn't spectacular. Saturday, I went and did some serious shopping damage on things for our house. I got new pillows {chevron}, new lamps, and a huge floor length mirror for our bedroom. The Christmas decorations were finally taken down, too. 'Bout time. Saturday evening, we attended the annual Catholic Social Services dinner party. My Dad's best friend invites us and it's a nice excuse to get all dolled up and fancy for an evening. :) After the party, we went and met up with our friends for a going away party. My friend Jim is moving to Kansas and we had one last night out with him. Alicia and Holly even met up with us.. love those girls! On Sunday, it was two of my nieces' combined birthday party. I haven't had time to upload pictures yet, but will share when I do!

Here's a big photo dump of our weekend...



{from top left to right: my stepbrother Mike and his wife Gina, my parents (how cute is my Dad in a bowtie?!), my stepsister Mandy and her husband Sean, my Dad's best friend Bob, my Dad, and Billy.}


{Rocky on our new pillows..I think he likes 'em}


{Jim's going away party..tear.}



I also started reading this....





and am completely HOOKED.



*who else is legit depressed picnik is closing?! Not cool!

**If you missed Friday's post about my upcoming giveaway, make sure to check it out. If you tweet or mention it on your blog, you get ONE extra entry. Less than 20 followers away until I post it!! :)

**glad you all enjoyed my rap video. Music guru's have yet to call me, but I have a feeling it'll be soon... ;)





1.20.2012

That Time I Rapped In A Onesie {Friday Funnies}


I decided to keep it real today.
Not that I don't everyday, but you know.


Hope you get a kick out of these like I do...


*Me. Rapping.

in a onesie-with antlers on.




Sent this video to fellow bloggy friends before Alicia's ugly christmas sweater party
 (or in my case, onesie). I know you were proud Erica.

Do I got skillz?!

Maybe Weezy or Mary J. will ask me to accompany them on tour this year?
I'm a whole level above that Kesha chick.


*55 degrees in the morning/afternoon, but snowing by the evening?
Ok, not so funny.
Make up your mind, weather!


*Sometimes I question if I was really born as a brunette...



 

*That we still have Christmas decorations up (not our tree, but decor here and there).

This isn't funny. this is just sad.
This weekend it will all be gone, at last.



*Billy and Rocky (he just woke up for this pic) taking an afternoon nap together.
Pillow over head and all.


oh, hello Rockster's devil eyes. 


*Overhearing a girl in the dressing room at Forever21 yelling because she can't afford any of the clothes and saying "I need a damn job" ...why yes, a job would be a good thing. I just chuckled remembering the days when I was younger and would get an allowance but didn't have enough (that I thought) to spend on cute clothes.


*That I have an awesome giveaway planned for when I get to 900 followers.

...wait, what did I just say?
Yup. it's true.
I'm 30 away!

Help get me there, friends? Tweet? Blog about it? I'll give you an extra entry for the giveaway!

I can't wait for this one.



What was funny that happened to you this week?!

Have a good weekend!

...and I hope I don't lose followers for my rapping video.
Just sayin'...

1.19.2012

Roasted Chickpea Tacos {Yum.}





The other night, my best friend Lindsay, came over for dinner and to watch the Bachelor. Girl time while watching the Bachelor is probably one of my favorite things. We always enjoy having Lindsay over because she was my roommate for 8 years {impressive, huh?!} and also lived with Billy and I for a while. When we lived together, we referred to the 3 of us as our small {maybe somewhat disfunctional} little family, so she always holds a special place in my heart. When we lived together, we would have taco nights. Anyways, since I've become a vegetarian..ahem, pescatarian, Lindsay is open to trying my meatless recipes (gotta love her) and told me that I could cook whatever I wanted for her this week.

I knew I wanted to make roasted chickpea tacos. I have had this recipe in the back of my head for weeks now, and this was the best opportunity to make them! My hope was that if they turned out as yummy as they look, that Lindsay would want to make them at home to have a meatless dinner.

..and it was a success, my friends.

She loved them.
We loved them.

...so go on and tell me, who needs meat for tacos?!


Roasted Chickpea Tacos

I followed this recipe from two peas & their pod, but made them more like tacos and put them in hard taco shells, instead of tortillas. I didn't use mushrooms like the recipe suggests, but you can if you like them. :)

Ingredients:


To make the Roasted Chickpeas:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons water
1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

For the Tacos:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 bell peppers, sliced (I just used red)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (no, thank you)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 large lime
1/3 cup chopped cilantro


For serving:
Hard Taco shells (I used yellow corn ones)
Diced tomatoes
Avocado slices
Plain Greek yogurt (I used FAGE) or sour cream
Spinach (or lettuce for your significant other if he's anything like mine)
Lime wedges


*as you can see, I decided not to cook the onions or peppers in the skillet. You can do it either way.







 
Directions:

1. To roast the chickpeas: preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, lime juice and water. Stir in chickpeas. Place seasoned chickpeas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until chickpeas are slightly crispy.

2. While the chickpeas are roasting, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes. {or, skip this step and just serve all the toppings on the side like I did.}

3. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
 Pour mixture over vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the roasted chickpeas and fresh cilantro.

4. Spoon roasted chickpea and vegetable mixture evenly down into the taco shell, and garnish with tomatoes, avocado slices, cheese (just a pinch), and Greek yogurt. Serve!



Things to Mention:

-I will be making these often. very..often.
-Definitely use the lime. It adds a refreshing taste to the tacos!
-Many people don't like regular chickpeas. If you are one of these people, at least try roasting them because they are full of flavor and not as bland.
-In my mind, pretty bowls are mandatory. If you like the presentation, you'll enjoy the food more. Is that just me?!
-Roasted chickpeas are wonderful as a snack by themselves or on top of salads. I doubled the ingredients and used 2 cans of chickpeas when roasting them so I could have leftovers. I've since had two spinach salads with them on top for an easy, but healthy lunch. So delish.




I love recipes that you can use the leftovers
in a different meal.

Enjoy!


Have you made Roasted Chickpeas before?
If not, here's your chance :)

I push you to challenge yourself your taste buds
and try something different! 








1.18.2012

Currently Loving...


Happy Wednesday, loves!

I'm really happy to be here today.
I haven't linked up for WILW and Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday in SO long
...and boy, have I missed it!


While I'm still o{bsessed} with Pinterest, we sometimes take breaks in our relationship. But now that the iPhone app is consistently working {finally..good grief}, we are "on" again and I can't wait to see what everyone is pinning lately.



I'm {loving}: spring colors available in stores
from jewelry to clothes

...I'm loving it all.
and we aren't even close to winter being over yet
{minor detail that I'm willing to overlook}



new earrings & necklace.



navy polka dot scarf 
&
bright colored tops



I'm {loving}: adding granola to smoothies!
I can't believe I've waited so long to try this..the granola adds a nice texture and more fiber to your morning smoothie. 





I'm {loving}: the crazies bachelor




it's like a train wreck...
you can't help but watch.
#guiltypleasure

I have to say..I like Emily, Nikki, and Kasey B the best.



I'm {loving}: Jillian Michael's 30 day shred!
{yeah I've posted about this before}

I did this workout video almost daily before our wedding.
 It makes me feel stronger and really works your core..two thumbs up in my book






I'm {loving}: my Nike Free Runs 
...so comfy.






I'm {loving}: Christina Perri's song, A Thousand Years.

...I know this was released a while ago, but I added it to my ipod 
and can't stop listening to it.




I'm {loving}: my husband!

Love.him.so.much:)



and here are my favorite pins this week
for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!



head to toe - I'm in love with it all.
I can't wait to pair demin shorts with blazers..soo cute.




cute & simple valentines day decoration



all white kitchen




bite sized baked brie
{I die looking at these. Can't wait to make them!}


touche`

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What are you loving this week?!


*what's to come? delish vegetarian recipe on the blog tomorrow.