happy halloween

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, but it involves candy and kids in cute costumes so I'm not totally opposed to it. Last year, we committed the worst new home-owner fail of them all by running out of candy after an hour or so. We had to take the walk of shame to our neighbors house to borrow some of their candy.

This year, I wanted to do things differently. We bought about three times as much candy, which Jon promptly hid from me. Halloween candy in bulk is a major hazard when working from home. He did a really good job. I haven't exhausted all efforts to find it, but I may or may not have opened a few closets in passing hoping to find the candy bowl. No such luck.

We didn't just stop with more candy, though. I wanted to have a fun treat to pass out to the kiddos we knew so yesterday I made 90 popcorn balls. This is approximately 60 too many, but it's my biggest fear in life to run out of food. It's right up there on the fear list next to cockroaches.

I did have a little mishap while making the popcorn balls. I put the butter and marshmallows on the stove to start the melting process. As I was standing there stirring, I smelled something burning. I thought it was odd because the butter hadn't been on the stove long enough to burn. I looked down, and it turns out I WAS THE ONE BURNING. Actual flames were eating my scarf. I guess I got a little too close to the open flame of the gas burner. Oops. Gas stove = 1. Pink scarf = 0.

Happy Halloween!

happenings

When bloggers get lazy (or just way behind on updating), we post pictures. Aren't you grateful that phones have cameras now? How many of these moments would I have failed to capture without it? Probably all of them. Of course, the trick is that after you snap the photo, you then put away your phone to actually enjoy life. 

3 meals for parents with new babies. If only they could all be as sweet as this wee one. I'm not even sure she ever cries.

one new coat of paint in the guest bedroom. it's almost done and ready for a reveal. stay tuned.

one beautiful bouquet of flowers from my hubby to congratulate me on my first day at my new gig.
do you want to hear more about the new job? work seems a boring blog topic, but i'll see what i can do.

a thousand cell phone lights demanding an encore at a Billy Joel concert.

one new kitchen organization station. finally, a place to hang all those baby announcements. :)

many a baseball game. 

one fab floral dress...and that wallpaper. i die. 

a wedding shower for this beautiful bride. 

a perfect ice cream cone during a visit to lynchburg to visit the tad hardins.

one nerdy stop at a civil war site on our way back from lynchburg.

two fabulous chairs delivered for the living room. 

one new couch currently in production. can you guess which couch fabric i chose???

one weekend trip to arkansas, complete with a tour of the new football stadium at my alma mater.

three returns, but finally one set of master bedroom that i think will stay.

one evening spent filling in as a soccer mom for these two goofballs.

two tickets to the NLDS.

one fantastic playoff manicure.

one husband sneaking away from a wedding to listen to game 2 on his phone. 

one art festival with this cutie who likes to eat phones.

covers and pillows and curtains, oh my. one guest bedroom almost ready for company.

one beautiful day working outside. best. office. ever. 

dozens of candy corn cookies. candy corn sugar cookies > actual candy corn.

Whew. Now we are all caught up.

confessions of an awkward life

I had a really impressive week as a human last week. Sometimes awkward just follows me or maybe it's that I bring the awkward with me wherever I go. Either way, last week was full of greatness.

It all started on Monday. I went into DC to meet with some of our contractors for work. I set up shop at Starbucks, and plopped my bag down beside me. While I was busy gabbing away, someone was busy grabbing away. It wasn't until I got that dreaded call from fraud protection that I realized my wallet was no longer in my purse. It had jumped shipped, taken a cab to Macy's and was currently on a shoe shopping spree.

That's right, I'm so awesome that my wallet was stolen right under my nose by someone who is too lazy to walk 4 blocks to Macy's and probably has bad taste in shoes. I had to take the walk of shame to Jon's office to borrow his metro card so I could get home. Life = 1. Katie = 0.

On Saturday, I got up earlier than I do on a weekday to go to a Bar Method class. I got ready, drove into DC, paid for parking, walked into the studio, and put my stuff in a locker before realizing that there was a huge hole in my pants. I repeat, I almost went into an exercise class full of bending and stretching with a giant hole in my pants. I again, took the walk of shame to the front desk to explain why I was going home instead of going into class. Life = 2. Katie = 0.

I really don't want to go into the rest, but let's just say it may or may not involve a Christmas tree cookie jar purchased from QVC, a run in with a front desk security guard (no, I didn't realize I was standing in an area of your lobby where you don't like people to stand. yes, I'm deeply sorry.) and forgetting where my car was parked. Twice.

I completely understand if you no longer want to be my friend.

the friday happy list: the beauty edition

It's been a while since I've done a Friday happy list. There is a lot to be happy about right now - football is back, the Nats are in first place, fall is just around the corner, and all kinds of fun things are happening around the house. But this week I wanted to focus on a few beauty products that I can't seem to get enough of lately, which may not be saying much. Just last night Jon asked me: "Do you wear makeup anymore?" It was right after we noticed someone on TV (a Kardashian, probably) wearing a ton of makeup so I think he was trying to be nice and say that it's great that I don't do that.....but...still. I guess I should step up my game even though I'm home by myself most of the day.

Here are all the beauty products I currently love...and should probably be using more according to the Ginger.

Oribe dry texturizing spray - My stylist introduced me to this product and I can't live without it now. It's a dry shampoo and texturizing spray in one. It absorbs oil, but also gives her hair a nice boost. It's perfect for in between washings and it smells ridiculously good. I've been known to use it on clean hair just because I'm addicted to the scent.

Ole Henriksen cleansing cloths - I'll admit it, I can be pretty lazy. I hate washing my face at night. Hate it. I use cleansing wipes while I'm traveling, but they never made my face feel as clean as the water/cleanser method. Until I found these. The textured side is great for buffing and they make your face actually feel completely clean. I love splashing on cold water after using them for a nice tingly sensation.

Bite BB for Lips - Goes on like a chapstick, nourishes like a balm, colors like a lipstick, Enough said.

Hourglass mineral veil primer - Primer works wonders - especially if you have oily skin or live in an area with high humidity - like the swamp that is D.C. I've tried and hated a lot of primers in my day. This one is light and silky, but most importantly, it keeps oil at bay without making my skin feel tight.

Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil - when Megan was in town we went to our (errrr, everyone's) new favorite restaurant, Rose's Luxury and had a dessert that tasted like a meadow. Who knew you wanted to eat things that tasted like meadows? Well, you do. And you probably want to smell like a meadow too because that's exactly how I would describe this perfume. Bright, happy, fresh, clean. I loved this scent for spring and summer. I'll probably retire it soon for something more fall-ish, but I'm sure I'll still pull it out on those gloomy winter days when I need a boost of something cheery.

Fresh Life body oil - I'm a big fan of the Fresh line of products - I love that their interesting scents are soft, natural and not over-powering. (Can you tell how important the smell of my beauty products is to me?!) Like a lot of products on this list, I made the mistake of testing this out at Sephora before looking at the price. Thus, I use it sparingly only on days when I need some pampering. It will be nice to have on hand as the weather turns colder and drier. It's over-priced and the bottle is completely impractical, but it smells so good and makes my skin so soft that I don't even care.

L'Occitane Creme Divine - This stuff is a true miracle worker. Again, tried it as a free sample from Nordstrom before I saw the price tag. I can be a product junkie so it's rare for me to buy a skincare product more than once - especially one this steep - but I'm on my third or fourth jar of this miracle product. I've tried a few other things in between, but I keep coming back to this moisturizer. It just melts into my skin unlike anything else. It's pretty moisturizing so I don't always use it during the day in the summer, but it's perfect for night and those dry winter days. Your skin will thank you and then you can thank me.

the stair runner

I am soooooo excited about how this project turned out!! It's been a long time coming, and the end result was even better than I hoped it would be.

You may remember that a couple of months after we moved in, Jon took a little tumble down the stairs and broke his ribs. Turns out bare wood floors and socks aren't a good combination. Since then, we've been planning on adding a stair runner. We wanted the safety factor, but I also loved the idea of adding some design interest to the otherwise plain, boring stairs.

The problem is that we have a lot of stairs. The two upper staircases that connect the three main floors of the house are within eyesight of each other and you see them as soon as you open the front door. Whatever we chose to cover them with would have a major design impact on the entire house. I was completely overwhelmed by choosing a stair runner that would set the tone for everything else in our home.

It all started with a little entry rug.

Enter the Dash & Albert zigzag rug. My In-Laws bought us the 2'x3' version of this rug to use as our front door mat last fall. I walked by it every day for at least 6 months before the lightbulb finally went off - I should use that rug to cover the stairs!

I mean, why not?! I knew I loved the rug and how it looked with our wood floors. I loved the colors and graphic chevron pattern. Not to mention that since the rug had been serving as our heavily used front door mat for months, I could vouch for it's high quality and excellent dirt-hiding abilities. Luckily for me, the rug came in a runner length, and it was the exact width I needed for my stairs. I was so happy I almost cried.

I called my favorite carpet installer to see if it would be possible to retro-fit the rug as stair runner. He said he could make it happen so I ordered six (6!) rugs and crossed my fingers. This was either going to be really great or really horrible.

Installation day was a bit nerve-racking. Per usual, we ran into a few minor glitches. I was nervous so I hid downstairs and vowed not to look until they were finished. Ta-Da! It looked amazing! They did such a great job matching the pattern and retro-fitting six individual rugs to look like one seamless stair runner. I was completely blown away. It also helped that the installers loved it too. The poor guys were thrilled to be installing something other than the norm beige carpet.

Now that wall nook is just dying for some attention.
Don't worry, little buddy, I haven't forgotten about you.

These colors. Swoon.

The 2nd staircase leading up to our master bedroom got some runner love too.

Getting dizzy yet?

It makes such a fun statement. My stairs went from boring to fab in one afternoon. Since the rug is a flat woven wool, it also has great traction. Looks great + added safety = win, win. Now I plan on using the colors in the rug as a starting point for the color schemes of the living room and dining room. It's almost more inspiration than I can handle.

I really didn't know I could gush this much about a rug, but apparently I can. I think I'm just proud of myself for pulling the trigger on a bold design. Playing it safe is for the birds. I'm so happy I took the chance. I love walking into my home. It makes me happy to have a space that is really starting to reflect our personality. If you are having trouble being brave....just go for it. You might surprise yourself.

going home

This will be long, and probably sappy (and way overdue). Deal with it.

I hail from Williston, North Dakota. It's a sleepy little town - barely a dot on the map in the very northwest corner of the state - almost in Montana and not far from our neighbors to the north. Jon likes to tease me about secretly being Canadian - not quite, but I've been known to drop an "eh" in conversation from time to time.

Well, my sleepy little town, isn't quite so sleepy any more. You may have heard about the oil boom that's taken over Williston from the Guardian or New York Times or NPR or from any number of other news sources that seem to rediscover the story every few months. It's a strange feeling when people who struggled to remember if your from the "North" or "South" state can now identify your hometown by name. Almost overnight, Williston went from total obscurity to headline news.

My parents moved to Kansas right before I got married (they like their states flat and tree-less), and since then, I've never been back to Williston. It's been six years, and a trip home was long overdue. I could only keep hearing about the changes for so long before wanting to see them for myself. Plus, as Megan perfectly articulated, the home video project we did for Mom's birthday made both of us miserably homesick.

........................................

That's the town, but now let me tell you about the people because they are really what makes Williston home. Growing up, life was ridiculously idyllic. We lived a quiet life on a quiet street in a quiet town. We never moved. I never even moved bedrooms. I came home from the hospital as a newborn and slept in the same room for the next 18 years. {This might explain my aversion to moving.} We went to the same church, the same school, and had the same friends for 18 years. Expect they weren't just friends. They were family.

Because we didn't have any extended family in North Dakota, these lovely people took us in as family. They had kids together and raised them together. In a way they grew up together, and so did us kids. They were at birthdays and holidays, celebrations and church functions. They make numerous appearances in our home videos - just like family would. They've seen me at my cutest (somewhere around age 3) and my most awkward (everything after 3). They grilled Jon when I brought him home. He didn't just have to pass the test with my parents - no, he had about 10 other surrogate parents who also had to approve. They've nurtured me, prayed for me, encouraged me and loved me. I'm grateful for each one of them.

.......................................................

I left bright and early on Friday morning. You know it's going to be a great day when your alarm goes off at 4 a.m. I landed in Minneapolis, and was immediately happy to be back in the Midwest - where people smile, say "excuse me" and the airport sells Green Bay Packers items. I did a little preseason shopping at the ripe hour of 7 a.m. Who needs coffee when there is shopping?!

The biggest moment of the morning was boarding the plane to Williston. It was a real jet with a flight attendant, jet bridge and everything. This is huge. For a long time, the only option we had was a propeller flight to Denver with no bathroom or flight attendant...and it was a long flight. To add insult to injury, the propeller flights coming from the middle of nowhere aren't exactly given landing priority. I remember circling the air in Denver on numerous occasions. One time we spent 30-45 turbulent minutes flying around while we waited for Al Gore's plane to land.

First positive change: oil means more people and more people means more air travelers and more air travelers means more flights on real planes. Oil boom: 1.

Upon landing, Williston looked pretty much the same. Still flat. Still treeless.

Much like a face only a mother could love, it's possible North Dakota is only a state a local could love.

Mom and Megan picked me up from the airport - after I successfully found my bag at the baggage claim that was marked with a 8.5x11 printed piece of paper. They had taken the more scenic route to North Dakota - driving up from Kansas. The 4:00 a.m. wake-up call wasn't looking so bad compared to the 2-day drive.We immediately went to Nina's house for lunch with the ladies.

I failed to take any photos, but it was a lovely lunch. We stayed for almost 4 hours catching up. Upon leaving Nina's house, Williston gave us a proper welcome with a big ol' flat tire. The roads have never been great - the hard winters take their toll on pavement - but the increased traffic, especially truck traffic has really made things worse. We ran over something, and sure enough, as soon as we got out of the car, we could hear the air streaming out of the tire.

Meanwhile I waited on the steps because no one was home to let us in.

But old friends are the best friends, and after a quick call, Joe came to our rescue. Except he couldn't get the tire off. Mom's fancy new car had a difficult bolt, and fearing he would break it, we had to call in the roadside assistance people. About 3 hours later, we finally had a spare tire...and another volunteer. Tim took the tire to get patched early the next morning...while I was still sound asleep. Bless him.

Saturday was a big day. We bunked all weekend with Russ & Dorry, which was a great idea. Not only are they great hosts, but Dorry is one of the best cooks I know. Half of my recipes came from her. That morning she made scones. Then it was off to lunch with these ladies at the country club. Williston is apparently very fancy now. With country club restaurants and $25 entrees.

After lunch, we stopped at Books on Broadway, where both Megan and I worked during high school and college over the summers. It's still a magical little bookstore, and one of my favorite places on earth.

Next up was the old neighborhood tour. This is where I grew up. It looks a little different, but mostly the same. We ran into a few old neighbors and got caught up on the 'hood.

We may or may not have broken into the backyard. Hey, that shed looks familiar...and like it needs a new paint job.

We couldn't walk down the block without stopping for a photo of our old mailbox #11. One time Megan tried to lick some snow off the top of it (ew) and got her tongue stuck to the box (duh).

That evening we had a cookout in honor of Russell's birthday. The gang was all there. Of course, we had to break out some of the home videos. We watched a few clips from church programs and had fun picking out all the faces in the crowd.

The next best thing about staying at Russ and Dorry's was spending time with their adorable grandkids. This little cutie. I die.

Sunday was perhaps my favorite day. Probably because it started with a true North Dakota caramel roll. Mom picked them up from two different spots and I definitely ate 1.5 rolls. I'm not ashamed.

Sunday afternoon we took the official driving tour with A+ tour guides Stacey & Jennie. I'll spare you photos of buildings that mean nothing to you - save Walt's Market because everyone loves Walt.

We made a pit stop out at Vance & Darci's house. This was a great choice because we got to take in their awesome view, and besides being great company, they fed us homemade ice cream and cookies. I swear people from North Dakota are the best.

We finally got back later that evening after a full day of touring the town. I was shocked at how much it has changed, but also how much it has stayed the same. It's really true that "the more things change, the more they stay the same." While the footprint of the town is now much larger (so many new houses, hotels and apartment buildings), it's still the same place where you run into the same people. That was somewhat comforting to me.

Poor Papa Tim had been entertaining Connor all day while us girls were away. I'm not sure which one of them was more exhausted.

We said our goodbyes to the Mendros and took a few photos before Connor squirmed away.

Monday morning we had breakfast with Karen and Becca.

And then one more meal at Russ and Dorry's before it was time to head to the airport. She even served ice cream with homemade raspberry sauce. She's the original hostess with the mostest.

More going away photos!

This is Bert. We became good friends over my stay at his house. 

Russell spilled on his shirt at lunch so he had to go Napoleon-style for these photos. 

Thus ended the trip home. It was a whirlwind. Mom's schedule kept us going the whole time. She was determined to see EVERYONE, and I think we did. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. There really is no place like home.