Stripes and Polka Dots

Friday Links

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad that it's the weekend. I'm really ready for some rest and relaxation. I feel like I've been going a million miles a minute online, and I've been under the weather and I just need to step away for a few days. I'll miss you guys, but I'll be back on Monday! Here are a few links to keep you busy!

Source: ornamelle.com via Kate on Pinterest

{Because I certainly need a reminder sometimes.}

Do you have a sketchbook? Share it!

I really need to start practicing these Tips for Capturing Emotions in Photos!

I can't get over how beautiful this painting is! Actually, the whole blog is pretty awesome.

Get involved in some of these blog communities!

This is like links within links. Make sure you check out the ones about identical twins and famous photographers with their iconic images- so cool!

New blogger? Check out 10 Tips for First Year Bloggers, found via vmac + cheese.

Happy Friday, friends!

Baked Steak Fries

2012-02-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

You would like these. How do I know? There is nothing to not like about them. They are awesome. Dipped in ketchup, honey mustard, by themselves... awesome. Brian makes them all the time, which means I get to eat them all the time. Yes!

Here's how it started: we had a bag of russet potatoes from when we made stew. While I grew up on and love baked potatoes, Brian isn't a fan. So at my mention of maybe having some baked potatoes, Brian started to look into some other options. Somehow he came across this recipe and decided to give them a try. I'm so glad he did!

I personally prefer the original recipe, but the garlic pepper are pretty delicious too. We like to eat them with our favorite tilapia recipe, which we make a lot. And the best part? Brian is the maker of the fries, meaning that I don't have to cook them, but I get to eat them! Sweet!

What have you been making lately?

family dynamics

2012-02-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

I've always thoughts families and birth order and siblings were fascinating. One kid, two kids, three kids... ten kids? Oldest, youngest... only? Just always thought where you fell in your family and how it shaped you was interesting. I'm one of three, the oldest, and I have two younger brothers. We are all three years apart.

When I was little I wanted a sister SO BADLY. I thought my life would be like Little Women or something. Clearly a sister would never walk into my room and swipe the roof off of my dollhouse! And while I still think it would be fun to have a sister, being the oldest of brothers is a part of who I am. I'm bossy, an overachiever, and a worrier. Plus, there are definitely some perks to being the oldest and only girl:

I am not easily grossed out. You can discuss any bodily function (well, not the blood or violent kind) with me at any time, including meals, and I won't flinch. I'll probably even join in.
I always had my own room growing up. I learned to lock the door at age 4 (see above, with the dollhouse).
When we were little, I was the trend setter. It didn't last long, but the things I liked, such as the pink sippy cup and the bowl with the heart at the bottom, were in high demand BECAUSE I MADE THEM COOL. This is probably the only time in my life that I've experienced this power, and I squandered it by being annoyed that my brother wanted those things because, clearly, those things were meant for girls.
I herd by nature, which makes me a really good field trip chaperone.
I always get to sing the girl part during our Disney duets (of which there have been many.)
I get scared watching other people ride bikes, and I'm quick to pull others back from railings at heights higher than 3 feet off the ground. My brothers will tell you that this trait is always bad, but hopefully someday it will make me a highly attentive parent?
I usually got to avoid taking out the trash, one of my least favorite chores.

I wouldn't trade my brothers for anything. They are the only ones who get all of my obscure references to things we watched as kids. They are the only ones who will join me in singing the Pokemon theme song in it's entirety. And who would sit there and giggle with me as I Photoshop our faces on to Mini Me? I guess what I'm trying to say is, not only would I keep my birth order and being the only girl and all that, but I wouldn't trade these brothers for anything. In good times and bad times, they are part of me.

So friends, I want to know: how many brothers and sisters do you have? Zero? Ten? Are you the oldest, youngest, or a middle? SPILL! And if you've never said hi before, now is the time. I want to hear from you!

(All the photos are from my family's snapshot collection, EXCEPT for the wedding photo which is by JMK Photos)

balance

2012-02-06T10:28:00.000-05:00

How was your weekend? Mine passed in yoga pants and pajamas, but I worked most of the time. Which is okay, because I kinda love this kind of work, but still, I think that balance is going to be a big theme is this little venture of mine.

Also happened this weekend: I came down with some sort of cold, our fire alarm went off no less than four times due to something gross in our oven, Brian made pizza, and I ate cinnamon rolls, chips and dip, sour patch kids, pizza, and icecream exclusively on Super Bowl Sunday. Win? I feel like I need to go on some sort of extreme cleanse today. Ugh.

Friday Links

2012-02-03T13:40:00.001-05:00

Sorry if I've been a little absent from Blog Land this week, friends. It's amazing what happens to your Google Reader when you ignore it for a week- yikes! In addition to attending Blog Brunch tomorrow, I'm hoping to tackle some of the many unread posts.

We don't have any Super Bowl plans to speak of... do you? Brian and I are both pretty big non-sports fans, so maybe we'll just put together our own Super Bowl feast at home. Maybe we'll even turn on the game for the commercials. Who's playing again?

I made a few announcements on KBD this morning, including that prices will be increased on Monday! If you're interested, contact me this weekend to get the current prices! (you can also email me at info {at} katelynbrookedesigns {dot} com!)

Some ideas for what to make for your Super Bowl feast.

The start of my Tips for Better Blogging weekly feature!

Definitely felt like I'd made it big on Wednesday! Also, thank you all for your sweet comments!

All the Art to Inspiration images in one place!

I'm itching to find a use for these lace brushes, which I didn't know about until this post.

How to pack lightly for a trip! I wish we were going on one really badly.

Stew

2012-02-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

My mom makes a mean stew. So this winter, now that I have my own crockpot and we are BFFs, I thought I would give it a try. Verdict: not as good as Mom's. But it was a start and I will definitely try again! Also, I tried to lighten things up by buying one can of soup that was fat free and buying lean stew meat, so that probably was a big factor.

This is one of those recipes that's not really a recipe and can be changed to how you like it. Here is roughly what I put in mine:

1 Vidalia onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and cut (I cut them into eighths, but Brian felt like some of the chunks were too big, so smaller next time)
1.6 lbs of extra lean stew meat (you obviously don't need that exact amount, that's just how much was in the package I bought)
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (I bought one regular and one fat free, and don't forget to put almost a full can of water for each can of soup!)

That's really it! All you do is prepare everything and throw it in the crockpot on low in the morning. The weird thing was that mine cooked on low for about 10 hours and the potatoes were cooked but not really soft, so next time I think I'll cook it on high for a few hours and then switch to low.

Have you tried to recreate any of your favorite recipes that mom makes?

I know that I basically stopped doing the Kitchen Escapades posts, but I decided that I liked doing one recipe per post better than doing a week's worth of recipes in one post. You know, quality over quantity and all that, but also I don't like blogging about repeat recipes, and Brian was getting annoyed that I had to take pictures of dinner every night. I think this way is better for us. Also, I understand that these pictures look kinda gross. I promise it tasted good anyway.

it's possible

2012-02-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

If you've been around here for a little while you know that I started my web design business in November (and if you didn't, now you do!) I had a few clients before 2011 was over- really the perfect amount for me to get started. I was excited; I had hope.

Then January started. And there was nothing. I worked my butt off in hopes that it would result in some work. I definitely got cranky and discouraged some days.

Source: lanaloustyle.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest. Artist: Letitia Buchan

Then last week, some things started coming together. It was weird because I could almost feel that it was going to before it happened. Like this is the week. And it did.

I don't mean to run around blog land with my arms open shouting "I'VE MADE IT BIG, GUYS!" Because I totally haven't. That would be absurd. I just have more design work than I ever have before. I even had to tell school that no, I wasn't available to come in more than two days this week, because "I have some design work to do." That felt good to say.

I am thrilled, grateful, excited, and... scared. I love what I'm doing, but sometimes just the thought of knowing that you have to produce something that someone else will like in a timely fashion is stressful. Naturally, I try not to think too much.

It felt good to write this post, friends. I like sharing with you, and I'm not talking about food posts. We'll have to do this more often. Hopefully I haven't turned anyone off if you're out there and were maybe sorta thinking about hiring me. Because I would love to work with you. And I'm not too busy for you, I promise.

While I have your ear, hope over to Sketch and Wash today to check out my Art to Inspiration post! You know you want to join in next month!

Also, Amy over at The Charming nominated me for the Liebster Award. Isn't she sweet?! Go love on her.

thoughts after a month of salad

2012-01-31T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well guys, January has come and gone, and I am happy to report that I was able to stick to my New Year's resolution of salad every weekday. I thought I would report on some things I learned.

A few things before I dole out my nuggets of wisdom... I wound up not being very experimental with toppings during the second half of the month. The only thing I tried that wasn't listed on my first post was shredded turkey (I think it was the pepper flavor of Hillshire Farm), which was a tasty way to add some protein. But I only did it once, so clearly I wasn't in love. The last week I got lazy and ate Caesar salad every day when I worked at school. It just doesn't get easier than lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and dressing (I use Ken's Lite Creamy Caesar.)

I was kinda lame about making my own dressing throughout this thing, BUT, on my last salad post, Sarah described an easy dressing in one of the comments. All you need is olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper. Nothing fancy and it's so easy! It is seriously SO GOOD! Both of the salads above are dressed using that combination, and they were so tasty. It's tangy and light, and I highly recommend it. Note: I like my salad dressing cold, so I didn't like it as much the first time. I refrigerated the vinegar and that made it perfect!

THINGS I LEARNED

Buy the set of three romaine hearts... ditch the bag! The bag may seem convenient, but economically it just doesn't make sense. It also seems to go bad faster, which is not good. No one likes limp salad. (Note: I really like baby spinach, so I would consider buying that too, but I just didn't because Brian doesn't like it as much and we've been eating side salads with dinner, too)
CHOP THAT ROMAINE. Cut off the end, rinse the lettuce, and then use your knife and chop the lettuce into thin strips. You'll be happier.
Plan ahead. Before I committed to this I thought that eating salad every day would be way more complicated than bringing a sandwich for lunch. FALSE. It's all about having everything on hand. As long as the lettuce is chopped the night before, throwing a salad together in the morning is easy!
Salad is good. I didn't get sick of salad! There are just so many things you can do with it. I even had it on the weekends once or twice, and there was only one weekend day where I was like "PASTAAA!" Just vary your ingredients and you should be good! It's also wayyy more satisfying than the sandwich that I used to eat every day.
... and good for you. I'm going to tell you something, and then I'm going to regret it: when we got back from Christmas break, I weighed five pounds more than I did this summer before our wedding. Since we got back from Christmas break, I've lost four of those pounds. This is all the result of changes in my eating habits, because I've worked out less this month than any other month practically ever (not like my eating habits have been stellar all month either!) HOWEVER, eating salad was not the only change I made, so please don't think that I am saying that I lost weight entirely as a result of eating salad for lunch during the week. That being said, I am NOT in the same shape that I was this summer, which basically means that weight is stupid.

Basically, even though my month of salad is over, I still plan on eating salad as my go-to weekday lunch. It's delicious! I'm really glad that I picked this as one of my New Year's resolutions.

coma bars

2012-01-30T18:26:00.004-05:00

Normally my desire to eat baked goods precedes the desire to bake them. This last week, the opposite happened. I kept passing my mixer in the kitchen thinking that it looked lonely and needed to be put to work. I knew my friend Hannah was coming over last night, so yesterday I started looking on Pinterest for something for us to bake. That's how I came across this dangerous dessert.

Brian is a total chocolate and peanut butter junkie. When I showed him these there was pretty much no going back. Hannah and I had lots of fun making them... except I when misread the recipe. You make them by layering a peanut butter/ cake mix mixture with a chocolate and coconut mixture. Well, I saw stick of butter on the recipe and put the whole stick in with the peanut butter part, not realizing that I only needed two of the eight tablespoons in that portion! I figured "oh well, what's a little extra butter?" and kept on going, and adjusted by adding only about three tablespoons to the chocolate part, netting only an extra 3 tablespoons of butter. That's not so bad.

Well, after dinner and two of these bars, this happened:

Brian and I were both falling asleep at our computers. I'm blaming it on the butter.

Clearly I'm not too worried about it, because you better believe that after a long day at school I made a beeline for that 9 x 13. If you're looking for a sweet fix, I highly recommend these babies (originally called Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars.) Just maybe use the recommended amount of butter.

winter morning pictures

2012-01-27T10:01:00.001-05:00

I've been feeling like I'm in a blogging rut this week. I didn't post at all yesterday, anywhere, and I think that helped get things going a little better. I found these on my computer this morning and I thought I would share them here. I took these around town in December, and I guess they weren't Christmas-y enough to get posted. I remember that this morning was crisp and clear and beautiful, and that I was excited about the season. Sometimes I need to remember that feeling later in the winter when I'm not so excited anymore (you can see more pictures of that morning here.)

I usually get sub jobs on Fridays but I didn't get called today, and let's face it, it's always fun to have Friday off, especially if it's a surprise! It worked out because I really need the sleep this morning. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, here are some links to check out!

My redesign of Small and Chic Home is live! Eek! Make sure you read my interview too- Jeannine asked great questions!

Downton Abbey is my new favorite show. I had to contain squeals when I saw this post on Oh Hello Friend.

I took these pictures leaning over the passenger seat of my car. Nice.

Did you see my guest post on Cake Memoirs this week? Thanks to Lot for having me!

As someone who has very little taste when it comes to wine, I appreciated this how-to on Chevrons & Eclairs. You know, in case I ever have a guest with more refined taste.

I love finding new artists, so this post on vmac + cheese was right up my alley!

The business cards might be the #1 reason I'm depressed that I missed Alt. Just kidding, sorta.

I WON! Now I have to pick just one. It's a good problem to have :) Which would you choose?

Pretties on Pinterest

2012-01-25T16:01:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to finish up a site design today and was totally stumped on what to blog about... and then I remembered that today was Wednesday, which meant that the Oh How Pinteresting link-up was running on The Vintage Apple! I've always wanted to participate but never have. Today is the day!

Brian and I went to a semi-formal event on Saturday and let me tell you... I am so out of the habit of getting dressed up! It seemed like I couldn't find any of my jewelry, my shoes... it was ridiculous! So I thought I would make my post night-out themed, which is something that I am absolutely terrible at dressing for. I much more of a day time kinda girl when it comes to clothes. But can you tell that I'm into sparkly?

Source: 27.media.tumblr.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: kristinkickass.tumblr.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: riazzoli.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: moderndayfairytale.tumblr.com via Kate on Pinterest

Thanks Michelle, I'll have to do this again sometime! What have you been pinning lately?

P.S. Check out my guest post over at Cake Memoirs! I'm talking about how I get inspired for blog design!

my mom makes good food

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

You know when you go home, and your mom makes something amazing that for whatever reason you could never have at home or school, and you are just oh so happy? That's what this delicious pasta was for me. When I went home a few weeks ago my mom tried this Wegmans recipe and added some shrimp that she had sauteed in olive oil... it was DELICIOUS. If you have a Wegmans, or are so inclined to recreate this recipe, and are looking for something a little fancier to make, I would highly recommend this dish. It was even really good left over. Just looking at these pictures makes me wish that I had some in my fridge right now.

see ya, weekend

2012-01-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Another weekend gone, my friends. Do you ever have those days where you feel like no matter how long you stare at something, it just never gets done? Well I had two of them back to back. I really probably should have just walked away from the computer, but I tried my hardest to stay put and accomplish things. Let's just say that my mile-long to-do list wasn't exactly tackled.

Part of my problem was that I felt a little bit like I was losing it. There were just too many things to do. I was/ am totally overwhelmed. Especially just by opening my Google Reader. I've started following a lot of new blogs recently, and I'm starting to get them mixed up, which really makes me feel crazy. Maybe I've reached my limit? I don't know, but I hate feeling like I can't keep track of stuff.

Source: talesofayoungdesigner.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

Today is rainy and gross. Ugh. Not off to the best start this week, here's to hoping it turns around!

Tag, you're it!

2012-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is a long one, friends! I've seen this tag game float around the internet a lot lately. Faison tagged me in her post earlier this week, and I thought I would join in the fun today!

Rules of the game

1. You must post the rules.2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself.3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, then create eleven new people to ask the people you've tagged.4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post.5. Let them know you've tagged them!
11 Facts1. Brian and I started watching Cheers in July. We are now on season 7. For those of you keeping track at home, that's roughly 7 seasons in 5 months. Yikes.
2. Some of the most common key words that lead people to my blog are related to Disney, which I think is funny for a few reasons: 1) I love Disney movies a lot. 2) I wasn't aware that I blogged about it so much. I feel like people searching for these keywords are disappointed when they get here. I'm sorry, kindred spirits!
3. A lot of my blog posts from the past have pictures that are no longer functioning. I apologize. If I were a better blogger I might go back and remedy this. I'm not.
4. If I could pick, I would stay up until midnight every night and wake up at 9:00. That would be ideal.
5. I hate celery. But I pretty much like everything else, food wise.
6. I'm kind of messy sometimes. I don't want to be. But somehow piles manage to creep up. Especially when I'm living in small spaces. Can I have my mansion now, please?
7. I have a desktop computer. This isn't that interesting, but I felt like you should know that I sit in the same corner of our apartment every time I blog, tweet, comment... whatever. Maybe I'll take a picture of my corner some time and give you a visual (I like to sing a song from Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella when I think about my corner. Name that tune! Anyone? Is that just me?)
8. My main form of employment right now is substitute teaching. Can you tell I'm sleepy right now? Yes, that is because I got up at 6:40 this morning. It is now 10:30 the night before you read this. Lame, yes? I don't like to get up before 7:00 (see #4)
9. Have you seen Crazy, Stupid, Love? That speech that Steve Carell gives at the end? I met my soulmate at 15 and we went out for ice cream? That is my life. (I won't ruin the movie for you, but if you've seen it, the similarities don't extend the whole way, if you know what I'm saying) Also, I got chocolate on cake and Brian got vanilla on sugar. None of that peppermint chocolate chip nonsense.
10. Actually, Turkey Hill's Choco Mint Chip is really baller. Eat it. Love it. I don't know why I was hating on mint chocolate chip ice cream.
11. I feel like I don't post very many pictures of myself on here, and when I do, they are all sorta similar. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on changing that, but I thought I would dig this oldie but goody out of my files for your enjoyment. You're welcome.
{Because no post should be sans photo. Me and Brian c. November 2010)
Faison's Questions
1. Tea or coffee?
COFFEE! I love iced tea a lot though, too. But I drink lots of coffee every day.

2. What is your favorite place in the world?I would have to say the beach. My family goes to the Outer Banks in North Carolina every year, and I always feel so relaxed!
3. What did you major in college, or majoring in now?I was an architecture major in college. I graduated last May.
4. If you have your ears pierced, do you prefer studs or dangle earrings?My ears are really sensitive, so I have two pairs of stud earrings (pearls and fake diamonds) that are the only ones I wear.
5. What jewelry do you wear daily?I wear my rings every day, and that's about it. When I sub I wear one of my super fancy watches (I have a blue and a white one) and I'll usually throw on a necklace.
6. It's Friday night, and you have two choices: stay in and watch a movie or go out on the town. What would you choose?99% of the time I stay in. In college I went out a lot more, but these days I'm pretty chill and happy to stay at home.
7. If you have a day planner or organizer, which one do you have? I do, which I won from Faison's giveaway! It's a Kate Spade planner, it's so cute! But I have to admit that I am really good about my Google calendar, too, which I adore!
8. When you travel, which do you prefer: Traveling by car, train, or plane? I've come to like road trips, so I guess I would have to say car. Planes are exciting, though! And I've actually never been on a train (if you're not counting the subway.)
9. What is your go-to comfort food?There are so many! I would say mac and cheese or Chinese food.
10. What was your favorite Christmas/holiday gift that you received this year?I got a pair of black riding boots this year. I LOVE them!
11. Why did you start blogging?I got addicted to reading blogs and I basically wanted to try it for myself. I was also planning my wedding at the time, so for the first two years my blog was mostly about planning my wedding and my life in college.

My Questions (I'm stealing some from other bloggers because I'm figuring this is the first time you're writing it)

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor and brand? (can you tell that ice cream is a big deal to me?)

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

3. What is the first blog you ever started reading/ following?

4. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

5. If you could change your name, would you? If so, what would it be?

6. What is your favorite book?

7. You have twins tomorrow, a boy and a girl. What do you name them? (can you tell that I like names too?)

8. How long have you known your oldest friend?

9. What is your #1 favorite cosmetic product in your daily routine?

10. What was your favorite year of school?

11. What is your favorite holiday?

Sorry if I overloaded on what's your favorite ____. Again, sleepy.

Here's where I break #4 and 5, friends. I'm going to take a page out of Rachel's book and not going to tag anyone, because I feel like if I just did it off the top of my head, half the people would have done it already. If you haven't done this yet and you like my questions, I would LOVE to read your answers! Consider yourself tagged! Thanks for making it this far, guys! Happy Friday!

fitness rut

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

My name is Kate, and I have completely fallen off of the fitness bandwagon.

In my defense, it's winter and I don't have access to a gym for the first time in my life. Okay, we do have gyms here, but I don't want to pay the money to join one. Definitely will at some point in my life, just not right now.

That leaves running or working out in our apartment. I have two Jillian Michaels videos that I did pre-wedding, but I'm finding that once you've done them it's really hard to motivate yourself to do them again. Plus, I hate Jillian. That might be a little strong, but she gets on my nerves so much that I feel like my blood pressure is rising when I watch her. Ugh.

I really like to run, and I plan on running when it's warmer than 45 degrees. However, the other night as we were going to sleep, Brian goes "Oh, by the way, I got this email that there has been a report that there is a man soliciting young women. You know, like A BLOCK FROM OUR APARTMENT. So maybe don't go running by yourself outside, mmmkay?" (mmkay may be part of my dramatic interpretation)

If you lived with me, you would probably know that I am a naturally paranoid person. I scare really easily. My college roommates can attest to this. They liked to plant creepy things in my bathroom because I was the easiest to scare in our apartment. Knowing that there is possibly a predator roaming where I roam is pretty much the number 1 thing that would deter me from running.

So here we are. One of my New Year's resolutions was to work out 3 times each week. So far I've only worked out twice both weeks. My college self would be ashamed. ASHAMED!!! I have just totally gotten out of the habit. I need to fall back in love with working out.

My latest hope comes from a post on Iowa Girl Eats about Body Rock. At first glance I though it would be way too intense for me (it still could be, I haven't tried it.) I don't want to look like a body builder. But it looks like the workouts are short and it might give me something different to do. Plus, the girl has a pretty awesome accent, which means I'm more likely to watch the videos (sorta joking.)

I'm hoping to try out the first workout today. It looks pretty straight forward, but I'm sure it will be hard! I'm so out of shape.

Do any of you have any at home workout recommendations? I would LOVE to hear them!

salad update

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

When I made my New Year's resolution to eat salad every weekday for the month of January, my goal was to become an expert salad eater. Make my own dressings, totally branch out... yeah. As you can see, that hasn't really happened. I have become really good at making salads that I love, it's just that they might not be wonderful for you and they're not all that adventurous.

These are my favorite dressings:

Ken's Light Honey Mustard
Hidden Valley Light Ranch

Here are the toppings that I have tried the last two weeks:

Baked chicken (in BBQ sauce)
Hardboiled eggs
Cheddar cheese
Black beans
Corn
Green pepper
Cucumber
Raw mushrooms
Grape tomatoes
Sliced almonds
Croutons (3 different flavors!)
Crispy onions (like French's)

I have to say that I really like eating salad more than I would have thought. Maybe the second half of January will bring a little more adventurous eating.

What are your favorite things to put on a salad?

Want to see all my food pictures in one place? Check out the food album on my Sketch and Wash page!

Random Tuesday

2012-01-17T15:31:00.003-05:00

Let me level with you guys: today, my other blogs and commitments had to come first. I've been working hard on a test site and my other two blogs were feeling a little neglected. So today, you guys are getting a few links to enjoy. It's not that I don't love you, it's just that I'm busy. I hope you can forgive me.

{a little sneak peek from my trip to Culpeper this weekend, coming soon to Sketch and Wash}

The photos I took of the restaurant aren't on my blog yet, but you can catch a glimpse on Piedmont's Facebook page. Like the page, especially if you're in VA! It's seriously the coolest place.

Do you do button swaps? Shoot me if you'd like to swap with me! (stripesandpolkadots {dot} blog {at} gmail {dot} com)

Speaking of buttons, I posted a tutorial on how to scale your buttons to fit your sidebar. Easy peasy!

Do you use photoshop? Check out this awesome keyboard cheat sheet!

Have you checked out Mini Alt Week yet? Seriously, it's gotta be the next best thing to actually going!

The colors in this post totally brightened my day.

Tomorrow I'm posting about salad, but really this is all I'm thinking about at meal times.

Isn't this free sticky tape cute?

What's keeping you busy today?

banana cream pie

2012-01-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

I make this banana cream pie every year for my father-in-law's birthday. His birthday is on Christmas Eve. Some years I have given it to him on his actual birthday, but the last few years I have given it to him sometime in January, after things have settled down a bit. I mean, what better excuse to celebrate your birthday a month after the fact?

As you can see from the few two pictures, this recipe is well used. Banana cream pie is also my grandma's favorite. The carrot cake recipe on the adjoining page is one of my dad's favorites, as well as Brian's. One time I made that carrot cake without the carrots, and it was still good. That's pretty fail proof.

Banana cream pie isn't my favorite, but my mom and I agree that that warm custard stuff, right after you mix in the butter and vanilla, is divine. That and the fresh whipped cream. So even though it's not really my thing, I get lots of sampling in while I make it, which is always a plus.

What is your favorite dessert?

P.S. If you're looking to make this, you can click on the third picture to enlarge the recipe. I use store bought pie crust (the kind you roll out and bake, it's usually in a skinny red box) and it's pretty delicious. I also skip the coconut on top as well as the bananas, because they get brown pretty fast. Enjoy!

my first pomegranate

2012-01-15T16:53:00.002-05:00

Hello friends! I just couldn't stay away any longer. I hope you are all enjoying the long weekend (or the regular weekend, if that's the case!)

I bought this pomegranate in November. November! Naturally I Googled it, and found that they can last in your fridge for up to six months. Sweet! De-seeding a pomegranate is actually pretty fun, this was the first time I'd ever done it (thanks again, Google!) Aren't they pretty? I must confess that only a few sad seeds that are left. I looked down at the bowl in my lap and realized I'd ate most of them. Oops! At least they were tasty!

I have a lot more pictures of food coming up this week! My mom made many delicious things while I was home. Yum!

with love

2012-01-12T15:43:00.002-05:00

I've been a little AWOL this week because I came up to Northern VA so that I could sub a few days here and keep my sub certification active. I'm subbing for the same second grade class for three days in a row, which in all the time I've subbed I think that is the most consecutive days I've ever been with one class. Mostly what I've learned is that I really wish I had the energy of an eight-year-old.

Source: zeroing.tumblr.com via Kate on Pinterest

I wish I could plaster this inside my brain for tomorrow. I'm so sleepy and a lot of times that means I am wishing the minutes away. But really I would like to enjoy my time there as much as possible, because while the kids can act up (some more than others) there is also so much good in each of them.

Tomorrow is Friday! I can't wait. I'm driving home on Saturday and taking pictures at a family friend's restaurant along the way... so excited to share them once they're done!

What have you been up to this week? If you're new around here, say hello! (or if you're a regular!) I could use a pick-me-up.

Top 5 Tuesday: School Supplies

2012-01-10T08:25:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up again with Rachel of Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday. Today's topic: school supplies! As an office/school supply freak, I couldn't resist!

1. PENS I love pens. These are the two I use the most, the Pilot G2 and the Sharpie Pen, fine tip. Black is my favorite. Love them!

2. PENCILS I use pencils a lot. Most of the time I just go with the cheap Bic mechanical pencil, which I have a million of, but sometimes the classic Ticonderoga #2 is the way to go. I mean, it has by far the best eraser. Am I right or am I right?

3. POST-ITS They are just so handy. And they come in a variety of pretty colors. Bonus.

4. SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS When I was younger, I had a kajillion full sized spiral notesbooks. I couldn't get enough. Since then I've moved to the smaller version for grocery and to-do lists. It fits in my purse and I take it everywhere with me. This little guy is from Wal-Mart.

5. TAPE I use a lot of double sided tape for crafts and stuff, but I also just got some Washi tape for Christmas, and I'm in love! (I even used some on my latest sketchbook page)

Honorable Mention: CRAYONS There just isn't anything quite like a fresh box of crayons. My elementary school self would have put these babies as numero uno.

Do you think I could be any dorkier? What are your favorites? Join the link-up!

weekend and a free way to brighten your space

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend was really all about getting organized and catching up on sleep. I scheduled several posts, took pictures, participated in Blog Brunch (the next one is Feb. 4, you should join in!) Pretty much just blog stuff. By the way, Blog Brunch has gotten me totally hooked on Twitter, and I was a following machine this weekend. If we're not friends on Twitter yet, follow me and I'll follow you back!

Even though we are nine days in to 2012, I thought I would share these cool finds with you guys. In November I discovered the joy of free and beautifully designed desktop calendars. The first one I downloaded was from Geninne's Art Blog and I just loved it- every time I saw it on my computer it made me smile. My desk became a much happier place.

With the new year, I've found many more bloggers offering free desktop calendars. There are so many great ones to pick from!

And finally, the one I have on my desktop right now...

hello, friend

Aren't they all so neat? Which one is your favorite? Now that I have them collected on this post I will have to check back each month to see which one I like the best. Hope all of you are having a great Monday!

Edited to add: Thea offers wonderful desktop calendars on her blog Neu4bauer as well! If you like vintage fashion illustration, definitely check them out!

makeover

2012-01-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

The other day I was tinkering with the widths of my blog, and after spending an entire morning staring at it I got kinda sick of it and just started from scratch. Here is what I came up with!

As you can see, I pretty much stuck with the same color scheme. I wanted something a little cleaner, bigger, and more flexible. I'm pretty excited!

I'm still tweaking things like buttons and layout and whatnot. If you are viewing this in a reader, click over to check out my new look!

Happy Friday!

Here you can read about my blog's little design history.

It's Ok!

2012-01-05T16:11:00.001-05:00

I've seen this link-up several times but I've never participated before... but it seems perfect for my poorly functioning brain today!

It's okay...

... that I got 5 hours of sleep last night (winter break is over, friends!) and looked TERRIBLE at work today. First graders don't care!

... to kinda cheat on your main New Year's resolution by making your salads not so good for you. IT'S STILL SALAD.

... that after lunch I pretty much count down the minutes until my afternoon coffee.

... to make a beeline for my computer after school.

... that I have been terrible about exercising. It's even nice out today and it's still not going to happen. See above.

... that I have been totally lame on the broader scale of blogging. I always manage to write something up for you guys, but Sketch and Wash and KBD get the short end of the stick. Womp.

... to decide that you want to totally redesign your blog while making minor changes. And then spend all night on it and still not finish.

... to clean your house 90% and then quit.

... to retweet compliments on Twitter. That's what they're for, right?

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow is Friday, woooo hooooooo! If you're stopping by from the link-up, say hi! And even if you're not, you should say hi too!

big thoughts about little stuff

2012-01-04T12:47:00.001-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that I really hate stuff. Brian and I have been working on that whole "clean apartment and SIMPLIFY" resolution for the last 48 hours or so. We took everything out of our closets and produced two boxes for Goodwill and lots of stuff for the dumpster. And we're still not done.

Source: piccsy.com via Kate on Pinterest

It's enough to make me want to convert to some minimalist religion (which one is that again?) and forgo all things. And this year in particular we've acquired lots and lots of things. Which we are beyond grateful for. Truly.

But, it does make you think about gifts. And why we give them. And should we give them?

Not to give you the impression that we were entirely blameless in acquiring all this stuff. Heck no. Brian and I have purchased our fair share. Which brings about a different set of questions about our culture and how we live.

Thanks for reading this edition of "big questions with no answers." Better luck with closure and conclusions next time.

But seriously, do you have any solutions for organizing and purging your stuff?