{Daily Pics} Going Blonde & Thigh Rolls

Here's a few scenes from our week...

the girls playing with their spring gel window clings, 40% off at hobby lobby right now!

my new blonde highlights and i'm loving them

a bunch o' easter egg fun for the quads to get into during play time

the cutest little thigh roll on trystan's sweet baby legs, my favorite ever

oh just the "small" stack of editing i picked up from a client today,

i will be burning the midnight oil!

my crew of babies watching paw patrol together in their play room

Hope your week has been filled with sweet moments!

H-Town Break Down!

In my spare time—said with a total sarcastic snicker, a la my quadruplets I raise around the clock!—I am a freelance writer and editor. (Check out my professional website here...which totally needs to be updated, btw.) I love writing and I love writing for magazines. My articles tend to focus on retail, fashion, designers, profile pieces, travel and design. All the fun, creative stuff!

If you live in Houston and need some ideas for a fun night out, or you're planning a visit to H-Town, check out my latest travel piece in the January issue of Atlanta-based magazine, Jezebel. Party down, bottoms up!

Link to read full article: http://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=140930&p=96

And below is a page from my monthly fashion and retail report for Houston magazine. Have you ever been into Calypso St. Barth? Their stores are super chic and they stock luxe finds like beautiful cashmere scarves. Sigh.

Link to full article: http://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=140757&p=41

{Quad Squad} Babies in the magazine!

Just for fun, I wanted to share a page from the December issue of Houston magazine—I used to be a full-time editor there several years ago, before moving to Scotland, and now I freelance for them on a regular basis. In the contributor's column, where they highlight various writers and photographers that have articles and photos in the magazine that month, there's a photo of myself and my crew and a little blurb below it. Only six months old, and the quads are in their first magazine.... awww. ;)

To read it online, follow this link: http://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=135962&p=24

And for extra kicks, below is my article on jewelry empire maven Kendra Scott. Love her! You can read her story, then flip the page to check out my monthly fashion and retail report on Houston: http://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=135962&p=52

Happy nearly Friday!

Office Mates

It's been a relatively quiet day around my house, which is a good thing because I've been able to focus on some work deadlines that have been looming over my head. And the temps outside are in the low 40s—never mind that it was 80 degrees two days ago—so wrapping up in a blanket in my home office ain't too shabby a situation to be in. Although I'll admit I do not keep an OCD-tidy desk, messy means money...

I tend to work on anywhere from two to four projects at a time, so there's always a ton of material floating around my space. The beautiful red roses were a surprise from my husband when he got home from work yesterday. And no, I don't have three beverages—the mug is my chicken noodle soup lunch! That book on the right, Birthdays for the Dead, is one that I'm excitedly cracking open tonight and is the newest tome out by a favorite writer of mine from Scotland, Stuart MacBride. I like to call my self-portrait below "Writer's Daze."

Of course, since the weather has decided to emit teeth-chattering gusts of wind and less than desirable temperatures, my little doggie family was allowed naps in their kennels in my office to warm up and take a break from the chilly backyard. Reese, pictured below, is about 10 months old and we've loved her since before we decided to officially adopt her! She had her spay surgery two days ago and still manages to run circles around me, the other two dogs and my white cat—who does not appreciate the game.

Then there are the "big dogs," as we affectionately call them. They never want to be separated and share the same kennel every night. They also had no problem passing out for a nap inside their crate, but Jersey (the black one) crept into more than one of my phone calls with her super loud snoring!

Crank up the volume and take a listen, this dog sounds like a human snoring! It took me a full five seconds to realize who was to blame. Was there a congested, sleeping midget under my desk?

Have a great weekend!

Cozy by the Fire

It's been very chilly all day and when working from home without the heater cranked up, it can mean stiff icy fingers and freezing toes. Needless to say, I've had a fire roaring in the fireplace since noon and intend to keep it up well through the evening—when the husband comes home from work and we eat our leftover beef bourguignon.

Meanwhile, this furry little kitty has found the sweet spot for her mid-day napping:

Wonder what she's thinking while watching the flames dance? :)

{Holiday} 9ft Christmas Tree? Yes, please!

Hi ya folks! Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I've had all these crazy plans in my head to do posts on new recipes I'm working on, Christmas decor at our house, a fabric giveaway I have in store, plus new curtains going up in my kitchen. The problem is that all of these things are currently in progress, meaning that none of them are finished and my house looks like a holiday garland threw up in the living room and a paper demon stormed through my office. (Yeah, I've had to stay busy with this little thing called work, too. There's never enough hours in the day, are there?)

But we did manage to take some time off to enjoy the holiday and snap a few photos before stuffing our faces with all manner of delicious fare...

...which included my red velvet cake, peach whisky barbecue pheasant (that the husband shot on his last hunting trip) and garlic mashed potatoes—all just a minor part of the dinner we attended with close friends.

Anyway, I thought I'd at least give you a preview of the whopping nine-foot tree the husband and I purchased recently and hauled home to excitedly set up. It, at long last, replaces the much much much smaller tree we'd had for the past seven years that came from Walmart. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

It took the husband a good while to actually get the thing setup. It was heavier, bigger and wider than anything we were used to! In fact, it ended up requiring some furniture rearranging so we could fit it in a corner between the china hutch and the entrance to our kitchen from the living room. Thankfully, it looks like that's where it always belonged. Whew.

Afterward, we took a break to cook up our own feast of honey-glazed ham, broccoli cheese rice casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Every year, the husband and I stay at home and relax during Thanksgiving and cook tons of food just for us! It's so nice to actually enjoy the holiday, and save our time and energy for running around with family during Christmas instead. This particular meal we busted out the Spode Woodlands china my mother-in-law so graciously gifted us one year. (It's also perfect for our style, which, if you've noticed, is pretty country.)

Well, I've decided to call it a day for work so I'm off to taste test the chicken enchilada soup I've had in the slow cooker all day—will share the recipe soon if it comes out tasty! Then hopefully I can finish decoratin' and cleanin' up my place so I can share some more photos of our Christmas stuff. Oh, and our trip to Italy might be back on so fingers crossed we get to make it overseas before the New Year!!

The Difficult Days

Some days are just so much more difficult than others. There's often no rhyme or reason to it, they just simply are. The hard part is digesting those unwelcome moments, the unexpected tragedy or the delivering of bad news. Today has been one of the difficult ones—this morning I had a very stressful personal experience and as soon as I returned home and was feeling better, I received a call from my best friend telling me her brother had passed away. It pains me even more to hear the anguish and sorrow in her voice and through her tears. I wish more than anything I was able to take that away.

And despite the morning I've had, there's still work to do. Deadlines are looming for several stories I'm working on and life must continue. Isn't that always the case, though? Fortunately, the human spirit is often so strong and persistent that we are able to find the willpower to continue on with whatever lies before us... whether it's a work-filled afternoon or a trip home to be with grieving family. In spite of the difficult days, I am grateful for all the good ones we get to experience. While my prayers are with my friend and her family, I decided to take advantage of the sun outside and office on my front patio. Sometimes you just have to find the tiniest bit of silver lining.

Hope you and yours are safe and sound. Happy weekend.

{Daily Pics} 'Tis the Season!

Cozy sweats,

holiday shopping,

decoration stockpiling 

and cocktails with friends.

These are just a few of my favorite things!

From top to bottom:

1. Recent holiday purchases from Hobby Lobby. I don't care that it's early—I'm ready to start decorating!!

2. How I spent my workday today... in my PJs and house shoes cranking away on stories (and a blog post) at my computer. Some days you just can't beat that!

3. Myself (on left) and my pal, Lisa (on the right), at her Junior League's Holiday Market preview party.

4. Purchases from said market, including a Texas watch I had to have. It has the major cities marked on there and it has bling!

Have you started gearing up for the holidays yet?

{Shop} Beau Kisses!

Today, my friend Lisa and I spent our weekly afternoon together watching the premiere episode of Jersey Shore (um, yeah I totally watch it... it's the only reality show I keep up with!), partaking in some Starbucks tea and perusing shops in a nearby area we hadn't yet fully discovered. We always have fun together doing the simplest things...

That's us at Buffalo Wild Wings recently. I was there working on my laptop—hello free Wifi!—and texted Lisa that I wished we lived closer so we could hang out on a whim. (It had been a particularly trying afternoon.) She got off work 10 minutes later and called to tell me she was headed over. Now that's a good friend! And... as you can see, we are truly easily entertained.

Anyway, we set out to La Centerra at Cinco Ranch to visit Beau Kisses (pictured above with Lisa), a cute jewelry, gift and clothing boutique. Groupon vouchers in hand for $15 for $30 worth of merchandise, we must've spent a good hour looking at everything in that shop. But our day was absolutely made when we spotted two Texas State bracelets for just $20 apiece.

You may not know this, but it's like being Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible very difficult to find Texas State gear, aside from the actual college bookstores and shops at Texas State in San Marcos. It's even more difficult to find cute Texas State gear. Clearly, this is both mine and Lisa's alma mater. We adored going to school in the gorgeous Texas hill country. Grassy fields, towering shady trees, vintage buildings, farmhouses and barns dotted the landscape everywhere. And let's not forget the infamous Guadalupe river that circles around the bottom of campus. (We float it every summer with a group! I've got a boozy post about that coming soon.)

I graduated in May of 2006 from Texas State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a B.A. in Mass Communication - Print Journalism. It was one of the proudest moments in my life (the others being my wedding day, the day I officially began my own business and surely the day I will have a kiddo). I self-funded my entire four-year education, the first two years at a community college in my hometown where I earned an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts and the final two at Texas State. I completely fell in love with San Marcos and the university. I had amazing times there, learned more than I could ever share and made lifelong friendships, most notably the one I still have with Lisa. We met by chance during our quest to find new roommates and signed a lease for a town home the very next day. The rest, as they say, is history!

Source

Old Main (pictured above) is the journalism building set atop a hill—and enough stairs to burn off a freshman 15—very nearly in the middle of campus. And it should come as no surprise since it's the foundation for Texas State University. It was an expensive and complicated structure to build in 1902 and until 1908, it was the only campus structure. It's red roof has become a telltale sign that you've entered "Bobcat country," proudly protruding from among the treetops to announce your arrival at Texas State. The university actually opened in 1903 as Southwest Texas State Normal School—a sort of training school for teachers. Over the years, it was expanded to include Normal College, Teachers College, College, University, and in 2003 to Texas State University-San Marcos.

Here's a photo of my graduation day and one of the husband and I (we were engaged at the time!) post-ceremony...

But BACK to what I was saying in the first place! (And no I haven't been drinking, I just get sidetracked sometimes. I mean, who doesn't? Nostalgia wins every time...)

Beau Kisses had Texas State necklaces, earrings and more bracelets—all with a tasteful dose of bling—and we'll definitely be back to stock up on more in the future. Plus, they occasionally get blinged-out school shirts and other cute apparel in, so I told 'em to let me know when it arrived! (There were also pieces for Texas A&M, LSU, Texas Tech and UT.)

The inside of the boutique was adorable and smelled really good thanks to the line of Tyler Candles they offer. Beau Kisses had lots of fun gifts for every occasion, from wine parties to bridal showers. Plus seasonal items, too, like the spooky Halloween goods on display at the front table—complete with spider rings and bracelets and black koozies with witty slogans like "Truth Serum" or "Elixir of Doom." There was a full collection of Pandora bracelets and jewelry, wine koozies (known as "woozies"), beautiful photo frames, trinkets and more jewelry.

And that, my friends, is the story of Beau Kisses and our Groupon shopping adventure. Oh, and the story of Texas State and my college graduation experience. Aren't you glad you stopped by for a read? I knew you would be. Now go have a cold one and enjoy the Texas sky (if you're under one)... it's Friday!

Dinner at Sorrel

It's not a well-kept secret that I love to eat. Food is so wonderful, especially when it's unique, delicious and fresh! With my job as a freelance writer come a few occasional perks or benefits that I just, er, eat up. (Sorry, some puns are just too obvious to avoid!) It was a treat to attend a dinner at the new Sorrel Urban Bistro, a farm-to-table dining concept in Houston. There were some seriously fun drinks and yummy dinner courses, prepared by Executive Chef and co-owner Soren Pedersen. The restaurant is the second venture for him and co-owner and restaurateur Ray Salti who also manage Ray's Grill in Fulshear. 

Sea salt-crusted Black Drum fish with leeks and lemongrass

Spinach broth with lamb and goat cheese

Blue cheese risotto with braised duck

Brussel sprouts and cucumber on pork tenderloin and corn cake

Iron Skillet-seared filet mignon with grilled purple fingerling potato and bearnaise sauce

Gruyere cheese and pear pecan tart

Everything was absolutely delicious!!! The risotto was very unique and something I'd like to try and recreate some time. I was also head-over-heels for the Modern Rita cocktail, which had a heavenly coconut taste (I am obsessed with coconut, incredibly delish). Sooo... I snapped a photo of the cocktail menu so that one day I can whip up my own version! You're welcome to do the same—come back with a link to your post or photo if you do, I'd love to know how it turns out on the home front.

Cheers!!

{NEW} Recipe Challenge: The 5 Day Streak!

I have become extremely fascinated with Julia Child, which has in turn motivated me to want to cook more, which has in turn led me to start small with new recipes and challenges. (Hence the introduction of my brand new post category you see in the title, "Recipe Challenge." But more on that in a wee bit.)

It all started with my need to feel inspired. Sometimes I experience word block and just can't seem to write, or at least write a story that sounds good anyway, or I'm not feeling creative, or I haven't come up with a good design yet for a new necklace, or my blog is feeling sorta stale and I'm not sure what to post about... well, you get the picture. Sometimes shite happens. 

So when I need to feel inspired, I need to do something I enjoy. Occasionally this involves something healthy, like going to the gym, playing with my dogs or planting new flowers. But more often than not, it involves a film. I absolutely l-o-v-e watching movies. I could sit and watch movies all day and be perfectly content. Probably not all day, every day, but I do love movies. When I want to unwind at the end of the day, I like to cook a nice dinner, put on a good flick and settle into the couch with a trusty glass of wine and a plate full of good eatin'. When I need to cheer myself up, I put on some comedy or watch old black-and-white reruns of Red Skelton or Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. (Yes, I know they're old, most of you haven't heard of Red Skelton and they are clearly before my time. But I love them and all three of those figures can pull me out of my worst days. I've watched them since I was a small child and I actually have Jerry Lewis' autobiography to read someday soon. Another fascinating person.)

For this particular instance, I chose Julie & Julia to inspire me on that stuffy afternoon when nothing was working out. Let's face it—the movie is about blogging, cooking, life in Paris and a New York upstart. What's not to love? I adore the humor injected into the movie with Meryl Streep playing Julia Childs (and she does a bang-up job, too) and I love all the frustration that so clearly escapes Julie Powell's character played by Amy Adams. Child's blossoming mid-life career change reminds me that throughout our entire lives we have opportunities to reinvent ourselves, to capitalize on our passions and to make something happen. Plus, I certainly relate to Powell and her husband living in cramped quarters in a NY apartment (okay, our house isn't that small...), debating on having kids, drinking vodka (or whisky, as it is in our case) and cooking the hell out of that little kitchen.

At the end of the movie, no matter how many times I watch it, I truly feel like I can accomplish anything! I'm fired up and ready to conquer the world, and I'm especially ready to eat. So after watching it that dreary afternoon, it suddenly occurred to me that these are both real people who had and have real lives. Immediately, I went online and found Julie Powell's original blog—as in the one that started all this—and began reading the juicy entries as fast as I could. 

"It was good, though after one meal we're already feeling the buttery side effects. I cooked Julia and lived to tell the tale." 

~ Julie's second blog entry on July 26, 2002

I realized, however, that I couldn't possibly get through all these entries in one sitting so I'd just try to read them through whenever I could. But then I had my next great (obvious) epiphany—the movie was based on a book! So I hopped onto Amazon.com and realized that Julie Powell had not just written one book, Julie & Julia, but two. The second is called Cleaving: A story of marriage, meat and obsession. This one I'll be digging into tomorrow with great anticipation.

What's more, I thought, is that most certainly Julia Child has her own book, too! One more Amazon search confirmed this, bringing up My Life in France by Julia Child. I hastily bought up the lot and then sat by my front door, biting my nails and waiting on the delivery truck to come by. (Okay, maybe not... but I still couldn't wait for them to get here. Oh, and you can purchase all three on Amazon for yourself here, here and here.)

During a plane trip to Niagara Falls and back (read about that next week!) I devoured Julie & Julia from cover to cover.  Julie's writing is funny, smart and smartass, witty, divulging and obnoxious all at once. It's been most interesting to see her rise to fame from a life she'd nearly given up on. You can always glean loads of cooking tips and knowledge and inspiration from the tome, which simply makes you—or at least me, anyway—feel that much more inspired. 

So what's all this have to do with the Recipe Challenge, you ask? A good question, indeed. See, all that inspiration had to go somewhere. And the kitchen seemed like the perfect place to start. I cook nearly every day, but oftentimes my meals are plain and unexciting or easy and quick to throw together. That's not to say that I don't feel I achieve an illustrious dinner every now and then, but it's been awhile since I truly challenged myself with the, er, skillet so to speak. Eventually, I want to conquer some French and Italian cooking techniques and all my discoveries about Julie Powell and Julia Child have simply confirmed I do not need to take a lengthy cooking class to accomplish this. The answer is atop my stove!!

But big accomplishments are first achieved through baby steps. And most of my "cooking life"—including all the recipes I began sharing on this blog—I have been more of a Rachael Ray-type gal than an adventurous duck-deboning Julia Child taker-after. Thus I have decided to invent my newest blog category, the Recipe Challenge. Whether I'm taking on a brand new dish, tackling a cooking method I've never done before, trying a new food or conquering an entire cook book (or maybe just a chapter), you'll find it by clicking on the "Recipe Challenge" link in the category column to your right.

So why not start with something I knew? In the July issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, there was a tear-out one-week meal planner with a set list of ingredients and five recipes. This is included in every issue, but I've never really taken the time to thoroughly examine it. This particular edition seemed quite tasty and all things we would eat. So I'm taking it on. For the next five days, you can come along with me as I tackle five new recipes for dinner each evening. All five recipes will receive their own post, complete with ingredients, photos, my take on the dish, Rachael Ray's instructions and any edits I ended up with along the way. (Because, let's face it, I have a hard time following a recipe to a "T"... I always want to make up my own stuff, which is why I don't bake.)

If you're still with me after reading the longest blog post ever, then I thank you and encourage you to hop on over to the next post, which chronicles my first-ever Recipe Challenge!