What to wear to work

I am so behind on these!

Bang!

So being a curly-girl, there aren't a lot of options. You have 1. long and curly, 2. short and curly, and maybe some other lengths in between. (Medium and curly is not that cute, btw). So I straightened my hair for a long time. I liked it, it felt nice, but J was not a fan. During straight phase, I got bangs because, well, why not try it!?

                                  

 First I had side, swooped bangs, then "real" bangs, and side-swooped again. Here are some selfies!

First anniversary vow renewal...

Last Halloween as Rainbow Brite

I'm sorry but I think this is the cutest hairstyle ever!

So now I have no bangs, or hairstyle! haha. I haven't wanted to get a haircut in a loooong time. I should do that!

Some garden work

Last weekend (the one before last actually) J and I did a little gardening! We were going to do some more yesterday, but it actually rained which prevented us from working on it. OOOHHHH WEEELLLL.

So we trimmed a LOT of this huge bird of paradise. Unfortunately, as you'll see below, it hadn't been taken care of and is extremely messy and overgrown with roots--about 1.5' tall roots! It's a big mess and we don't know what to do. So sad because the plant is gorgeous.

 Freshened up my flower bed here...

 Can you tell a difference? Maybe?

See the hacked-away portion of roots? Yuck.

Sorry, guys!

Well I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I should explain.

On Monday, my boss was laid off. It was pretty shocking and upsetting. We'd worked together for over 2 years. Also, our marketing admin was laid off on that same day. We were also told we could no longer use one of our key team members who is technically a sub-consultant. Needless to say there were changes ahead. It's been a busy and stressful week figuring out how we would get everything done and reorganize our group to handle our workload with basically half as many people as before.  It's been an overwhelming week, full of worry and uncertainty. Oh and I have a proposal due today. Soooo...

I figured I at least owed you all some updates.

Lisa's mom, Patti, is out of the hospital!!

Baby E is out of the hospital!!

I had some other posts and pictures planned. As soon as I have time I'll get them up!

List of Prayers Needed

*Added a picture*

Keep praying for Patti Gobel, my friends. She is having some complications. She is the mother of my amazing friend, Lisa, and I don't want anything to happen to her.

Also, some prayers are in order for baby E, who I photographed two weeks ago. She's been sick, and is now at CHOC with a respiratory infection, bronchitis, and pneumonia. :(

My mom's favorite picture of Elizabeth.

And here she is in the hospital. Poor thing.

Cruisin'

Alright, people. I am going on a cruise! My first ever. I'm so excited. J's parents are taking us, J's sister and B-I-L on a cruise in March.

We'll be cruising to the Keys, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Cozumel.
Any tips! What should I pack (or not pack) and what might I not know?

What to wear to work

It's Tuesday.
Happy Tuesday.

What I made for dinner

If you read yesterday, you know that the onion soup I made exploded all over me. So I do not have a picture of the soup, but believe me, it wasn't very exciting to look at. These awful and disgusting pictures are all I got of my "Mini Turkey Veggie Meatloaf Bites" but they were quite good, and very healthy.

The Caramelized onion bisque was delicious and also very healthy!

New photos are up

New photos are up on my photo blog!

See the rest here.

What to wear to work

Happy Monday, my dear friends!

I have a serious case of the Mondays today. You, too, perhaps?

Just so you all know...

In movies, when someone turns on the blender and it explodes all over the place, we laugh. We also say to ourselves: come on, that never happens in real life.

Well it does, people.

This morning I was furiously cooking away for tonight's dinner. I cut a TON of onions and shallots into tiny pieces to make a caramelized onion bisque. While it was simmering, I changed into workout clothes. I came into the kitchen to blend the soup in the blender. Yes, the top was on. Yes, my hand was holding it down. No, that little plastic piece in the middle wasn't properly screwed in. SO hot onions exploded all over my arms, my shirt, the counter and the floor.

It. was. awesome.

Hopefully I will have a review of the recipe tomorrow (from the aforementioned Hungry Girl Cookbook), but I definitely took a long shower this morning, and washed my hair.

What to wear to work

Oh I haven't forgotten you!

Here are my looks from Thursday and Friday of last week:

Click to enlarge

What I made for dinner

Another topic that frequently comes up between myself, friends, and family is what to make for dinner. Oh, and how to make dinner when I get home late...and how to eat in a healthy and budget-conscious fashion. If I think of it, I'll post some examples of what I make and how it's done.

Each Saturday or Sunday I sit down with my cookbooks and plan out my entire week's meals. This prevents return trips to the store, and also saves a lot of money that would go to discarded produce and impulse buys. Plus, it takes the burden off of me to battle traffic and then battle the kitchen and "what should we eat for dinner" questions. J can clearly see what we're having and get excited about it ;) and I can prep or make dinner before work.

I calculated that I save about $200 per month with meal planning alone!

So last night, I made a nice Sunday Supper.

Chicken Parmesan with whole wheat angel hair pasta

 Also a Caesar salad

And for dessert, my new favorite (boy does J's phone take better pictures than mine!)

S'mores-Stuffed Bananas

Recipes

Chicken Parm

The basic chicken parm recipe involves dredging chicken in flour with a bit of salt and pepper, then in an egg bath (say two eggs and 1 tbl. water) and then in a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese. Then they are cooked in a pan with melted butter and olive oil until no longer pink.

I made a light tomato cream sauce, but feel free to use any purchased sauce.

S'Mores-Stuffed Bananas

Take a banana, peel still on, and slice longways into the fruit, ending with a "T" shaped perpendicular cut at each end. Use a spoon to pull open, and stuff with one honey graham cracker (low fat) crushed mixed with a tbl. mini chocolate chips. Top with mini marshmallows. Spray foil with canola oil, wrap banana in foil, and bake for 15 minutes at 350. Easy and low-cal, and I realize it doesn't sound like it would be...but not a lot of bad stuff fits in a banana! Scoop onto a plate and serve warm.

Recipe credit: Hungry Girl 1, 2, 3

List of Prayers Needed--Updates and additions

Please don't forget my constant: Lance Corporal Collin Salisbury.

He is currently serving our country in Afghanistan. 

Awful weather there, by the way. I check it every morning. I have sent him two letters so far; I just need my life to be more interesting so I have more to say!! If any of my readers would like to send Collin some love, leave a comment below with your email address and I will send his mailing address to you.

Collin, I wish you warmth, comfort, a feeling of security, and some good food. I wish for time to pass quickly. Most of all, I pray for your safe return to us.

And an update:

J's aunt Shar's surgery was very successful. It involved the removal of Sally, a basketball-sized tumor, from her stomach. She is recovering at home (and not smoking! Go Shar!!)

Lisa's mother, Patti, also had a successful operation and is awaiting test results. Prayers for Lisa, Patti, and family are still highly requested. 

Michelle's dad was laid to rest on Friday afternoon in a beautiful service. Prayers for Michelle and family as, if you've lost a loved one you know, the hardest part may be yet to come. What a wonderful man he was. Topic of another post, perhaps.

List of Prayers Needed

This is probably going to be a new feature, as I find more and more often that the power of prayer is incredible. When J was missing, there was no reason he should ever have been found, except that a ton of people were praying their little hearts out, and he was found. I know that not everyone who reads this is religious, but I believe that it just can't hurt...Whether you believe that someone is listening, or if you would just fervently think the words and believe that the power of positive thought can make miracles happen, I would love for you to read through the words below and pray or "power think" them for my friends.

For Lisa and her mother Patti: that Patti's operations tomorrow to remove cancer in her abdomen will be successful and pain-free, and that she will be cancer-free as a result. That Lisa will have the strength and courage to support her mother. That the entire family will have peace and confidence in the ability of the human body to heal and persevere.

For Michelle and her father, Steve, who passed away on Tuesday: That Michelle and her family will be comforted and loved, and that they can eventually smile again. Sweet Michelle just wanted her father to walk her down the aisle, and hurriedly planned a March wedding. That she can feel his presence on that day, and that she can still rejoice in the joy of marriage despite this sadness.

For Shar, J's dear aunt, who is at home recovering from her own surgical operations to remove cancer; for quick healing and as little pain as possible.

Here is an image to focus on while you pray/power think, if you'd like.

What are you reading?

I am curious what my readers are reading.

I'll start! I'm reading The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Yes, I'm a big dorkety dork but it's soooo interesting. This is definitely one of the better books on the Tudors that I have read. It's a factual, beautifully written non-fiction account of Henry and his proliferation of marriages. The author makes insights, but nothing more (no historical fiction here) about the main players which are based on facts, which she clearly states.

Since most of you are probably not interested, I have also recently finished Syrup by Max Barry and The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. I am really looking forward to treating myself with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest one of these days (final book in the trilogy).

So now I ask: what are you reading?

Let me know by clicking "comment" below.

What to wear to work

Happy Wednesday!

What to wear to work

Here is a pretty muted outfit for a beautiful Tuesday!

Fun shoes and a comfy sweater can be just perfect for work. Sorry about my messy hair. Oh and I'm not ginormous, but it's really hard to take a picture of the clothes you are wearing. ;)

Remember that episode...

I refer to episodes of Sex and the City quite often, and it might be annoying unless you have, like me, watched every episode and you know that there is truth in that show that just fits the situation. So here I go...

Do you remember the Episode (An American Girl in Paris part II, to be exact) when Carrie reaches into her purse and discovers a hole in the lining? She's sitting in the museum in Paris where her (mean and awful) boyfriend's new exhibit is being previewed, and he has left her alone. She reaches into the lining and finds the necklace that she had thought was lost. I believe she said she had bought it at a street fair in the Bronx or something, and that it cost "like nothing" but it was just...her. It reminded her of who she really was. She was not some obnoxious artist's girlfriend, living (practically) alone in a foreign city, always there to save him from himself...she was the girl with messy hair and weird clothes who can wear Chanel with a cheap necklace from the street fair. So she runs from the museum, and the awesome French rap song starts...

That was a long and circumlocutory [awesome word: look it up] way of beginning this post, but it just felt right.

So I have rediscovered my hair. My natural, pretty messy, curly-ish blob of hair. It looks disgusting once I've slept on it and if it gets rained on and just sometimes even if I try really hard to make it look nice, just because. It can't be controlled like flat-ironed hair, and some days the chaos is so great, you have no choice but to succumb to it. When you least expect it, it will look really really great for no reason. It doesn't really look like anyone else's hair that I've ever seen, and you need to know what it wants to make it happy. And here I have been: wasting it. Ignoring it. Forcing it to be something it is not.

It wasn't until someone (J) mentioned that he just loved it so much more when it was itself--and he said this several times--that I decided to try it again. And I remembered who I was.

Sometimes all it takes to find yourself is to do something as natural as allowing your hair to do whatever it wants.

And sometimes you  need someone or something to remind you.

It's always meant so much to me that J liked my hair best its natural way, because straight hair really has been the norm, and in high school and college people favored it that way. He says my hair is "not like everyone else's" and that is why he likes it. I think that in many ways I have some things in common with my hair...and maybe that's why he likes me.

It's not the way most people say "I love you"

During our home reno process, J got a ping pong table, which now graces our backyard. I went out and bought ping pong paddles, balls and a net. Soon enough, I started to complain that I would find ping pong balls everywhere. Under the couch, rolling across the kitchen, chewed up in Koal's bed...just in random places. I told J that I thought the ping pong balls were multiplying because I know I never bought THAT many. It was an inside joke for a while. So then we started hiding one ping pong ball for each other. J started it by putting it somewhere funny, and then I tucked it into his pillow, a sock, a shoe, we just kept passing it back and forth. Finally he cut it in half so that the game was over, but I hid the half ball and it continued. This morning I was getting ready for work and opened my drawers to find this:

:)

What to wear to work

In the second installment of what to wear to work, we have a ballerina pink top and sparkly necklace with basic black and boots!

LUSH review

You may have noticed this delicious-looking bathwater that I first posted in my year recap. It is the result of a bath bomb from Lush, gifted to me for Christmas by my wonderful cousin, Bree. It fizzes and dissolves in the water, leaving behind the intoxicating scent of lavender. And you smell wonderful afterward, in case you were wondering. :) The best part was that it had this little slip of paper in the middle that said "bang!" which popped out as it finished dissolving. Bomb - bang - cute.  This bath was a delight--I painted my nails with a lovely shade of OPI, enjoyed a tall glass of water, and read Syrup by Max Barry (which I wholeheartedly recommend--and if you are in marketing, it's a must-read).

I don't think I can ever bathe without a bath bomb now, so thanks Bree!! :)

New photos are up

Ok photo fans! I just posted pictures of baby Elizabeth on my photo site:

http://koreyelizabeth.blogspot.com/

What to wear to work

So one of those awful things about being a real grownup is having the wardrobe to match. When you graduate from college, you will buy exactly one suit. You'll wear this suit on every job interview. You'll get one of those jobs. You'll wear the suit on your first day. And then?

Since I've always loved clothes and shoes, I took the challenge to heart. It's taken me years, but I feel really comfortable now in dressing modestly and professionally, but with some youthful style. I really like color, but it's taken me a while to figure out how to add color to my professional wardrobe (it's hard!). Also, on dressing modestly:
Modesty is really important to me. I want to be taken seriously. Some of us (cough*me*cough) have some...assets...that are hard to cover in fabric, modestly, without looking gigantic (in a fat, bad way). SOOOOO it becomes even more challenging to dress modestly when even a staple button down can gather, bunch, pull, and reveal just a little too much. Also, for any new professionals out there: you may think that a little reveal is helpful in the workplace and let me assure you that it is NOT. This is 2011. There are women in this workplace and they will NOT like you. Any men who glance your direction are probably not groomed for the workplace and not respected. I've seen it happen. The last thing you need, as a young woman, is to have people talk about your clothes in a negative light. I have, on occasion, had people discuss my clothes along the lines of "Oh that K is so wacky can you believe she thinks she can wear lime green to work OMG she is out of control" and once those people came to know me, I realized that they weren't actually chastising me--they wanted to emulate it! So let's be ourselves, and have personality, in a professional and modest manner. Let's let our clothes say "an interesting person put me together" and not "hey check out my _____"

That said, I'm going to post some outfits on here, in hopes that what I pull together can help broaden some horizons!

Bright pink for a January Thursday.

This is my casual Friday (yep, the flats make it casual) look. I also have a headband you can't really see...purple with stones. 

I'll try to do this more often (if I think of it!)

This is cool.

J and I no longer have a house phone. Really only telemarketers (and my mom) ever called it, and we decided we didn't need to spend money on it. The one thing that irks me about not having a home line is that it does one incredible useful thing: you can call your missing cell phone on it.

Now I've only had an incredibly lost phone once since moving, but it was a pain. But no longer, my friends!

http://www.icantfindmyphone.com/

I did try it, and it works!

This guy

Sometimes we take things for granted.
Well I don't.
Okay just kidding. We all do.

So today I have a plea for you.

That you tell one person (just one) how you really feel.

How, without  them, it would be as though your world stopped spinning.

And that you need them.

That you appreciate them.

Because we all need to hear this sometimes.

So today I write to this guy.

My other half.

The one who tells me that he likes my hair best the way it is naturally.

The one who encourages me to jump in puddles

and takes me to Yogurtland when I'm down

and leaves notes in my car

and works so hard for the life we enjoy.

This one is for you, J.

All this and more.

I love you.

True Confession

I used to be addicted.

To Lip Venom.

Let me explain: first of all Lip Venom is a lip gloss with cinnamon and other spicy/burning ingredients that is supposed to act as a natural lip plumper. I'm not sure it does that, but the idea is that it hurts your lips (like a bee sting) so that they swell and flush a natural pink. The first time I bought it and used it I thought "this is awful! Who would willingly choose this!?" and threw it in the depths of my purse. One day, as I was attempting not to doze off in World History 101 or something in college, I thought "maybe the stinging of Lip Venom will keep me awake" -- and it did. Then I was hooked. I used it, and it doesn't last long so I'd need the sting again. And again. Until one day it no longer stung. I started to google the more intense version of Lip Venom and then I realized: something is wrong with me. This is disgusting. Why would I choose this?! And so, I threw that little tube back into the depths of my purse and I've never seen it again. Which is good, because I could really for some right now...

Don't worry, now I use C.O.Bigelow Apothecary Peppermint oil infused lip gloss. Similar tingle, less pain.

2010, I will not miss you

 

I have done a bit of thinking in the past few days about the changing of the year. On one hand, the change from one numbered year to the next doesn't do much for me. It's just a number. A bit of paperwork. I never really see it as a big event, or as important to me. New Years' Eve is never as fun as MTV makes it seem; perhaps it's the pressure placed on it to be SO important. And it's not. 

But this year I feel differently. I appreciate the platform I've been given. The opportunity to look back at a year and accept that it is ending. The possibility that dawns with an entirely new year. And sure, I sat on a couch and watched a ball drop and that made it a new year, a new life, and it sounds silly...but this year, I believe. I believe that I can make a fresh start, and leave some memories in the past.

Obviously I suck at leaving things in the past. (If you know me, you're nodding right now) And I believe in the importance of hindsight. Introspection and retrospection. So let's review the year in pictures. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

In no particular order, because that's just annoying.

**Click on any of them for a larger version!**

Some of the images below are graphic and therefore not suited for children or anyone who doesn't want to see blood and head staples. :)

Oh, and these pictures are all from my phone, and bear no representation of my photographic ability. (What am I, a lawyer!?)

Um, we got a new house (yeah, where have you been?!) And CA has been having some insane weather! Look! FOG! omg.

Dad finishing 100 miles in the Tour of Palm Springs.

Vikings fans and their boy AP! Sorry my team beat you in the Super Bowl playoffs... wait, no I'm not. :)

And here's how it all began: Kate's birthday and New Year's Eve 2010.

Crazy fire of Tustin 2010!

Josh now has a trophy spot. A mouse lives right above this picture. I'll post about that later. ;)

You can't tell, but I made bread! From scratch!

And anxiously awaited the birth of Avery Quinn.

And took the best bath ever thanks to Bree and her amazing Christmas gift (also another post)

Chik Fil A. Because it's amazing.

Poor Koal: he got sprayed by a skunk (this was the second time), had J disappear and moved in with my parents for a while, got sprayed again, J practically drowned him trying to wash his face, and that was just August!

Bye, Vegas.

Pretty sunset over the 5.

We moved out of the condo! It's now being rented.

Our spring trip to Big Bear turned into a snowstorm, and it was delectable.

I got to drive this beauty to Vegas.

I told you!

The biggest bruise ever is growing on J's side...just wait: it will get bigger. This was a mountain bike crash in the spring.

The arrival of Miss Natalie.

Josh is shown how to walk.

Emily's cookies and J's floor bed as he recovers.

We went to a rodeo!

April showers: umbrellas in the Venetian, Las Vegas.

Remember when my closet broke?! OMG.

J raced a rented Vette at Willow Springs race course (the fastest road in the west). The Vette pictured is his dad's, and the same one I drove to Vegas. The tape is to prevent scratches.

Maybe don't enlarge this one.

Sweet Koal had a traumatic year. Poor baby.

Hmmm?

YES I NEED MORE CLOTHES. YES.

I told you it would get bigger!

DJ jumping in front of a beautiful sunset outside my work place.

Those windmills...I love them. This was the beautiful day when we took Josh home from Palm Springs Regional.

:(

Handsomest patient I've ever seen...

Sorry. This is gross. And yes, it's what you think it is.

From the photobooth at Krysta's wedding.

Josh and his mountain bike!

My lovely Bree came back to town and went on a bike ride like the good 'ol days with Erinn, my dad, and Jeff.

Real clothes in the hospital! That's good news!

It was fantastic, no? A little different from how my closet looks today...

Yes, he looked like this for almost two days. Disgusting, I know. Rather medieval, with the blood all over the linens.

Oh Bree. I miss her. :(

I'll leave you with this sunset over PCH from my car window.

Okay 2011, gimme what you got!