Thank you BTE

I've worshiped Better Than Ezra for as long as I can remember listening to anything other than the Beatles. The lyrics are real. None of this "shawty" stuff and "bling" whatsit.

This is good music. Seriously good music.



It made me feel alive. Like I could survive and everyone else could just suck it.



Yes. Just yes. Ignore the creepy anime video. It's the only decent version of the song I could find.



So much of it was exactly what I felt/thought about in high school. Sometimes music was all that got me through those four years. Yeah, it was that kind of high school experience for me. Good riddance.

And thank you BTE for getting me through. The best:



xoxo-Kimberly

ode to gray

pearl, flowers, cloud, dream, vase, purse, ring, scarf, bunny, sailing

Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo-Kimberly

Winter Wear

This winter, I plan to wear plenty of these:


Argyle, Floral, Solid
(I've never been a tight wearer before, but last year I bought some, wore them, and loved them.)

I'll also be wearing lots of these lovelies:

Embroidered, Striped, Patchwork
And there's no way I'll be walking around campus in the snow without some of these on my feet:

Bow, Buckle, Button
xoxo-Kimberly

Quicksand...or not

Did you ever play the Quicksand Game when you were little? You play by pretending the floor is quicksand and that you have to find your way from one side of the room to the other without touching it. My sisters and I played this game a lot making up our own rules and variations along the way. The floor would be hot or poison or spikey- making it deadly to touch.

While browsing around today I found several pictures of floors that I'd have no problem walking across even if they were rumored to be covered in poison!

















I love unconventional options for flooring. It can really bring the room to life and give it a little personality.

xoxo-Kimberly

images via Desire to Inspire, and Ada & Darcy

Weekend Images

Things that made me smile this weekend:

















What made you smile this weekend?

xoxo-Kimberly

Tip of a pencil

Last night was rough. I barely made it through to the end of the night. I was tired and cranky and after a night of not enough sleep, that mood carried over to this morning.

Andy has a habit of choosing (what I think are) really annoying alarms to wake up to on his cell phone. To me, they're about as enjoyable as fingernails on a chalkboard and not very pleasant to wake up to. Boy did I really let my annoyance show this morning when I threatened to sleep in the guest room from now on if he didn't find a normal alarm.

Yeah, not the most positive way for me to start my morning. I'd kind of like to go back and try that again cause now I feel guilty and even more like crap.

That's kind of how this week has been going though. I feel like I'm balancing on the tip of a finely sharpened pencil. I'm just hoping I can stay on til Friday.

Speaking of pencils, these miniature works of art created from the tip of pencils have me completely amazed! They're the creative genius of Dalton Ghetti who has been carving pencils for over 25 years.













Pretty cool huh? Read more about them here and here.

I need to go home now. Get back in bed. Rewind five hours and try again.

xoxo-Kimberly

I can't resist

"Sometimes it's so hard to love art so much and not have a single artistic bone in your body." That's what my art history professor said to us on our first day of class this semester and I couldn't agree more!!

I suppose you could consider me somewhat of an artist, although my talents have always been in the performing arts-dance area, but I find myself wishing more often then not, that I could draw, paint, do graphic design or something of the sort. I spend so much time studying art, looking at art, and admiring art that it seems only natural to wish that I could create it myself.

Andy and his brothers are all artistically talented. I've seen some of the things they've done and I was pretty impressed. About a year ago, Andy bought some art supplies so that he could take it up again, but to this day they are still sitting in the closet unopened. Every time I see them, I wish I had the ability to put them to use and create something awesome to hang in our home.

But since I can't draw worth a lick, I can still admire the work of others. I've slowly begun a small art collection by grabbing a few things I like off of Etsy and I'd like to continue expanding that collection. There's so many great pieces out there!

I thought I'd just feature a couple of my favorites for now:


Snowy Owl by Alberto Cerriteno

Gorgeous, isn't it? Always a sucker for the owls.

Rock and Roll by Dirk Fowler

I love that it's called 'Rock and Roll.' Don't the wheels look like records?

Pistachio Ice Cream by Vanessa Tran

I'm not sure what it is about that print, but I keep coming back to it.

Bonnie by Caia Koopman

And I love when I find something that not only appeals to my eye but that I can relate to. I love that this piece reminds me of myself.

It's almost all I can do to keep from snatching up every piece of art that I come across and love. I have to practice some serious self control!

Are you an art lover or is there something else you can't resist?

xoxo-Kimberly

Before and After

We had such a fantastic (and tiring) weekend. Of course, I carried my camera around the entire time but didn't manage to take any pictures. We went to Peach Days and checked out the car show and then headed up to Hyde Park so Andy could work on his car at his dad's shop. I stayed with his mom and she helped me make salsa with the tomatoes and peppers from our garden.

The car project took so long that we ended up staying over night. We came home with a really awesome looking squash that I'll have to take a picture of to show you. Andy's dad also loaded me up with some more flowers for our yard. I managed to get some of them planted last night and I'll have to do the rest tonight.

We're exhausted after such a busy weekend but Monday is here so I guess we can't rest now! Just had to share this before and after with you before I plunge into all the work I have to get done today.

Before


After


Now that is an amazing transformation! Read more about it here.

xoxo-Kimberly

ps- Happy Monday. It's darker when I get up in the mornings now. I don't like that one bit!

Being married is like getting a Colored TV...

...you never want to go back to Black and White.

That's how I feel about my life with Andy. I never want to go back to being without him.

I bawled like a baby when I watched this sweet love story. Watch til the end if you don't mind having your heart tugged at a little.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

I'll never be happier than on the day that I marry Andy. He is everything I always wanted, and everything I never dreamed that I would be lucky enough to find. But I did!! Or-- we found each other. Because that's exactly the way that it was supposed to be. And exactly the way that it will always be.

xoxo-Kimberly

I may have to give in soon

Toms. I love them. I have wanted a pair for. like. ever. But I keep refraining from buying any because I'm a little worried. It could turn in to a serious addiction. One pair could turn in to two, and then in to three, and then four, until eventually they'll be spilling out of my shoe cave in masses. I mean, have you seen all the cute choices? And don't they look super comfy?

Not to mentioned that for every pair of shoes they sell, they donate a pair to a child in Argentina. Awesome!

Some of my favorites:



Now I don't typically care for wedges but these are super cute!


And look at the baby Toms. Aren't they just adorable?



I saw a girl on campus wearing some the other day and I accosted her and made her tell me how comfortable they were. She confirmed my fears when she said, "Don't buy any. You'll never stop. Seriously." And I believe her.

But if someone gives them to me (*hint hint) then I certainly can't be to blame, right? You see, I can be sneaky about this. Christmas is coming up and I'm predicting comfy Toms on my feet for the new year.

xoxo-Kimberly

Living

Living rooms I wouldn't mind living in...

hus & hem


hus & hem

apartment therapy

apartment therapy

xoxo-Kimberly

I Can Haz?

I want this gown so bad it's killing me.


Too bad it's a Monique Lhuillier and costs $5000 new and $3000 used. Gah! Sad face. That is my gown, man! It was made for me!

But it sure wasn't made for my budget. Le sigh. Oh well.

xoxo-Kimberly

typography treat

xxx

xoxo-Kimberly

A fresh start

Today is a new day and I'm so thankful for that. It means that I have the chance to start fresh and do things right this time. It means that I can try to avoid the same mistakes I made yesterday. And it means that I have the choice to see things differently than I did yesterday. Sometimes that's hard for me to do. But today is just as good as any day to try.

xoxo-Kimberly

I've learned...

that if you need attention...



you have to give it to yourself.

xoxo-Kimberly

Exteriors

One of my goals this summer was to paint our shutters and front door. Yeah, that didn't happen. That's really just because I could never settle on the color.

Mostly I think I'm just afraid that I won't like it when it's finished and I'll have to redo it. That's a job I only want to do once. But I'm going to continue to search for the perfect color though, because I'm convinced that it will really give our home a nice face lift.

I just love the first impressions these homes from Traditional Home & Country Living make, don't you?












Enjoy your weekend! I'll be enjoying an extra long one thanks to Labor Day!

xoxo-Kimberly

Hello September

September already? Wowza! Where did August go? Where did the summer go, for that matter?

Can I tell you a little secret? Fall is my favorite time of the year. It's that time when everything is perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. It's the perfect shade of warm with a slight crispness in the air.

Do you know what I'm most looking forward to? The colors, so so pretty. Fall calls for a few drives up the canyon with your Nikon, wouldn't you agree? Hiking with a scarf, baking up a storm, and movies with hot apple cider.

I'm also looking forward to the holidays. Thanksgiving in particular. Everyone is always so happy on Thanksgiving. Sometimes it seems even more so than on Christmas. Christmas always seems like such a bustling time. But on Thanksgiving everyone slips into chill mode. Good food, family, chilling in front of the TV, laughing, hugs & pie. The most perfect day of the year if you ask me.

My Fall Predictions:

-Winter will come early :(
-I'll get plenty of snuggle time with my honey
-There'll be busy times at work and school, offset by fun times with family
-I'll be experimenting with canning, baking, or trying new recipes
-I'll take some time for new crafty projects

I'm kind of happy that September is here. Are you?

xoxo-Kimberly