Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Who Dat? Brees Dat!!!


Last night Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's single season passing record with a touchdown pass to Darren Sproles. Even if you are not a huge football fan you have to love Drew. He is just a wonderful person and last night in the locker room he gave the team all the credit saying, "There might only be one name that goes in the record books, but it was all about you guys.". What a fantastic way to clinch the NFC South! Who Dat baby!!

 I think I need this sign for my yard. (Definitely ordering this for my dad's birthday)


And I think Ford got the coolest Christmas present gift in the family. My Aunt lives next door to Saints tight end David Thomas and he signed this book for Ford!



I hope you all had a magical Christmas!!!

xoxo

Pure Joy

Golden Graham

Best gift ever!

Brees with Colston the "Ballerina"

Lance Moore!


All images via Times Picayune

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Christmas Day Outfit

The forecast is looking dreary. Rain Rain Rain and chilly..but not chilly enough for snow. I had planned to wear a cute silk black and white polka dot top with a cardigan and black pants...but I think this is what I really want to wear...
Blair from Atlantic Pacific

I have the boots (green), tights, turtleneck and skirt...I just need the shirt and Hunter socks! I wonder if this would be appropriate at the Christmas Eve Service and following cocktail parties. Probably not! Maybe a Christmas Day outfit? Or an outfit to go up to the Grove Park Inn?

Speaking of stylish women; do you read Atlantic Pacific or Petite Blog? These girls are so fashionable...they make my jeans/boots/turtleneck wearing habits seem quite frumpy. Feast your eyes on these ladies......



This is one of my favorites!

The beautiful & newly engaged Style me Swanky

The Extra Petite Blog..great clothes reviews!

If only I looked like this at work!

I'm obsessed with check shirts


Please come dress me


And in other randomness...I bought these shoes at the J.Crew factory store in Asheville. They are size 5.5 and I just don't see myself wearing them. They sold in the store for $250. Hmmmmm


oxoxoxo




Friday, December 16, 2011

The Spirit of Christmas

Love Actually
Love this party in Love Actually

**Wordy and long post, but its worth it!

Have you heard the stories of the K-mart layaway accounts getting paid off by generous donors? It is happening all over America and I think it is quite possibly the most wonderful thing about this time of year.


OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The young father stood in line at the Kmart layaway counter, wearing dirty clothes and worn-out boots. With him were three small children.
He asked to pay something on his bill because he knew he wouldn't be able to afford it all before Christmas. Then a mysterious woman stepped up to the counter.
"She told him, 'No, I'm paying for it,'" recalled Edna Deppe, assistant manager at the store in Indianapolis. "He just stood there and looked at her and then looked at me and asked if it was a joke. I told him it wasn't, and that she was going to pay for him. And he just busted out in tears."
Read more here
And have you seen what MODG is doing? She wrote a post that involved financial information and received some nasty comments...and then some comments by people that don't have much but they just wanted to send her kudos. Well, she has connected the people that are struggling these holidays and is matching them up with Christmas Angels. Pretty amazing right? Read about that here.
I have the privilege to admit that this happened to me several years ago. It was 2003 and I was working my first job out of College. Making a whopping $22,800 as a personal banker. I have already blogged about this story but I'll give you the quickie version. My two friends at work knew I really wanted this cute dress for our fancy Christmas party at the Breakers (back when Corporate parties were insane) and they bought it for me! This dress had the cutest pale pink bow and I was walking around the Gardens Mall and saw the most spectacular pink high heels at Ann Taylor. They were $110 and I held them up to my dress and it was a match made in consumer heaven. I took the box up front and asked them to Hold them. The sales lady said..are you sure you don't want to buy today and I replied "No, I'm not sure I can get them, I'll just put them on hold and sleep on it." I was at the time eating Taco Bell refried beans out of  a can and babysitting every hour of my free time so I really couldn't justify these shoes. Plus I was not going to call Mom and Dad. Once I graduated and moved to Florida I made sure I never asked them for help (except that time my alternator blew up in the old Isuzu Rodeo...)
It's Christmas  #Christmas
I went back to the store the following day just to look at the shoes again and the sales lady said that my shoes have been purchased. I was sad but understood that they couldn't hold them forever. But she saw my expression and said...."Oh, no...they were purchased for YOU." I immediately thought it was my very good guy friend (who is now my husband :) ) because he used to do things like that. But she said it was an anonymous woman who saw me looking at the shoes and said, that little girl deserves to have those shoes. And bought them!!! She didn't leave her name and just paid for an anonymous gift for a person she had never met. I started crying and crying and made quite the scene at AT. 
Last week I hosted my annual Ornament Swap and I was in a tizzy to get the house perfect. I have about 14 items that I need to get framed. Its pathetic. Jazz Fest Posters, Mardi Gras Posters, Maps we bought on trips, watercolors from Provence...its insane. I also have these hideous Brass framed prints that I grabbed from my parents' attic. I took the Brass frames to my favorite frame shop and asked how much it would cost to replace the old art with some newer art...she said maybe $30 each..not bad right?! When M when to pick them up for me Saturday she said no charge. She told M that she knew I wanted the house perfect and this one little thing could help. 
So...I am going to pay it forward. I'm not sure how yet, but I'm working on it. We did adopt a family through our Church and have bought several Angel Tree gifts. But I want to do more. What are you doing this year in the name of the Christmas Spirit?

xoxoxo
Elf Kat

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Get in Shape Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!

I could break those legs with a paintball gun..look at the chick the 2nd from the right.

Her ass could fit in my cereal bowl

** I know what you are all going to say. The purpose of these women is to sell lingerie and look amazing, which they all do very well. But in this world of bullies, sexting and suicide I think we need to work on what we are selling our kids. I don't want a 12 year old girl buying sweatpants with "Pink" on the ass hoping she will look like these women.

The show last night was beautiful and the women jaw-dropping. They are all amazingly stunning and I understand it is their sole job/purpose to look the best they possibly can. I just wish they all had about 10 more pounds on them. Adriana Lima, who actually looks to be one of the healthier girls on the runway, let the juice out of the bag when she described how she prepares for the show....
"In an interview with the Daily Telegraph that has sent shock waves around the world, Lima was frank about her extreme diet and fitness regimen in the days leading up to the annual televised Victoria's Secret fashion show, set to air on November 9.
In addition to twice-daily workouts, for nine days leading up to the show, Lima eats no solids. She subsists entirely on protein shakes made in part from powdered eggs, and drinks a gallon of water a day. Two days before the show, she stops drinking the gallon of water and just drinks normally.
Then, 12 hours before the show, she has nothing. No food. No water.
Nothing.
"No liquids at all so you dry out, sometimes you can lose up to eight pounds just from that," she told The Telegraph. "

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/11/09/adriana-lima-reveals-extreme-diet-regimen-for-victorias-secret-fashion-show/#ixzz1fChMKz13..

 Please girls out there..do not follow this!

I do love to watch the show and try to imagine what their glittered 0% body fat-cellulite free-tanned bodies smell like. Vanilla or Latex? But I miss me some Heidi Klum.


My main point is that I wish this show would do a segment where they put on some Jock Jams and show us some Athletes..they can even be hot athletes! But show us some bodies that are truly 100% healthy and that are toned from busting their booties in the gym and not the juice bar.

A few examples:

Hope Solo- US Women's Soccer

Gretchen Bleiler - US Snowboarding

Jessica Biel

More Jessica Biel..she could ROCK that runway

Misty May and Kerri Walsh- US Women's Volleyball

Allison Stokke- Vault - UCal

Jenni Finch - US Women's Softball

Katarina Witt-So hot. I had a hard time finding a non-topless photo of her

Ana Ivanovic - Tennis Player for Serbia


Any amazing women out there you would like to see on the runway? Michelle Obama?

xoxo-I'm off to Taco Bell

Monday, November 28, 2011

Daniel Radcliffe Rocked the Thanksgiving Day Parade

I absolutely love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Rockettes are always stunning, the floats are timeless and all the stars...oh wait....

This year as I was watching the opening credits I thought..who in the world are these people!? Disney stars? It seriously made me feel ancient. But there was one star who totally rocked it out; Harry Potter AKA Daniel Radcliffe danced his precious heart out in a piece from his play "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying".

Here is the video. For such a big movie star I think it is awesome he showed up and brought his "A" game.

Do you watch the parade??



PS-Ann Curry drives me bonkers.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

$5 Shiny Beautiful Magazines!!!

I have an addiction to magazines but I have absolutely no time to read them. I let my House Beautiful expire...SHAMEFUL!

So..look what Amazon has today!!! 3 Amazing Magazines for $5.00 each!!!! Sign me up!
















These are great Christmas gift ideas! But just make sure you cancel the auto-renewal or your Christmas gift gets charged at the regular price the following year! (I learned this the hard way!)

xoxo (And you are more than welcome to order these for me!)

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Cooler Contest Winners!

Sorry for posting this so late! Things have been crazy over here!



Here are the winners! Katy, Fran and Natalie please send me your address!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Another Awesome Cooler Giveaway!

Remember my Polar Bear Cooler Post?? I have three more coolers to give away! This time with a Hawaiian print!

Here is my original post!



So its 10:00am at the beach (the acceptable time to start drinking beer in my opinion..or at least bloodys) and you go prepare the beach cooler. You lug all your towels, chairs, toys, magazines out and place your cooler in the middle as a nice cocktail table. And two hours later and four sunscreen applications you realize your beer is warm. Conclusion:

1. You aren't drinking fast enough
2. You are vacationing in the Sahara Desert
3. Your cooler isn't up to snuff.

If you are a friend of mine I'm assuming its #3. My husband's good friend introduced us to the team that makes Polar Bear Coolers and I wouldn't promote anything without completely testing the product first. We have the 24 pack size and while vacationing at the beach toss a whole bag of ice in the sucker and it lasts an entire day! That's right..an entire day sitting on a hot porch at Pawleys Island in 99 degree temps. That comes in handy when its 4:00 and you need to make Pinas and nobody is sober enough for an ice run.

So I have an amazing giveaway today!

I have 2 Red 12 pack sized coolers (With white Hawaiian Flowers)

and 1 Navy 24 pack cooler (with White Hawaiian flowers)

Head to their site to learn more!

All you have to do is comment on this post and become a follower of my blog! Just leave in your comments that you think I'm awesome even though I don't post enough and that you are a follower. I will draw a winner out of a crystal bowl on Tuesday November 1st at 6:30 pm. (Cocktail hour)

I am a huge fan of the 6 pack size for lunches, field coolers for Hunting Season, and.......hauling around breast milk. Yep, I said it. And if you order the camo one nobody knows there is breast milk in there. They think you are hauling around dove breasts. Looking for something a little more girly? They monogram!

Happy Summer Fall Drinking!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Living Room HELP!!!

Everyone's favorite double desk image...anyone know what the rest of the room looks like? 

Okay, we have a situation over here and we seriously need some help. Several months ago a friend helped me rearrange my Living Room so my husband's desk could relocate out of the soon-to-be nursery. Now I work from home at least once a week and between blogging/editing photos/work computers I need a desk area too. There are no other spots in the house and this is the perfect room to take over since it rarely gets used. (Please excuse Iphone pics- they are messy b/c I have been home alone the past few weeks!)
And I'm in love with the paint color..its similar to a Juliska Blue but a little greener..so I'm not changing that!

Here is the Living Room looking in from the hallway

Ignore baby jumperoo and cheapo decorator side tables and mess in general

I could relocate the bar to in between these two windows in the Dining Room..but it will make it tight for people getting up and down from their chairs. So I say no. (This room is going to be painted the same as the Living Room...one day.)

My desk...currently our tailgate table..so pathetic.

M's desk. Random empty corner

View from the other side

Main staples in the room:


BAR-I love this bar and do not want to move it. I guess it could go in the dining room (shown below) but I would love to leave it in here and consider this room a Study/Lounge/Parlor. Didn't a blogger say the other day we should bring the word parlor back?
Sofa-This was given to me by a wonderful decorator. It is cream chenille and oh so comfortable. And retails for more than all our computer equipment.
Coffee Table-Same fabulous decorator gave to me. Brown Jordan? British Khaki? I know its too big but I LOVE it.
Swivel Chairs-Also given to me by a friend. I had reupholstered before I threw a Bridal Shower and they are so cozy!

What we need:
2 Desks..that can house 3 monitors on one, and 2 monitors on the other. Yes, we need ALL those monitors.

What I was thinking...
Doing built-in cabinets on the far wall? (Where M's desk is now) My desk on the left and his on the right? I have 4 huge tupperware bins in the attic of all our books that had to go away when the nursery was set in place. Maybe put a TV in the middle of the two desk areas so when the main TV room becomes a cartoonfest adults can come in here to watch Anderson Cooper?
And hardwoods...how I long for hardwood floors...

Ideas:
This is where I need your help!

Imagine the 2 ends of this are desks, the cabinet doors open and can be pushed in on the sides so you can slide under..and the lowest shelf is removed so your monitors could fit.....crazy?

Love this, but where are their computers?

Ah, what a nice simple Mom nook. Not techy enough for me.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Link Dump

I have a million blogs saved on my favorites and I'm trying to do some fall cleaning and whittle that list down. I bet I've been deleted by some readers because I don't post often enough...I'm trying to remedy that!

Here are some miscellaneous links I have saved and figured you might be interested!

Blackberry Smash c/o Bless her Heart
The Blackberry Smash is minty and refreshing and just the right amount of sweet and sour.  This drink reminds me of sipping on the porch or a night out with my mama-friends swapping stories about all of the ridiculousness that has ensued since the last time we were together.

Heart Wrenching photos from the BP Gulf Oil Disaster via Boston Globe here
Go view the entire slideshow...


Isn't this brilliant? Instead of all those horrible plastic bags you have a reusable one!


I would love to get a portrait of my parents' old Boykin Roux
Story from Southern Living here


This site is great! I print some of these off for my stepson to do over the summer/spring break


This is my ultimate wish for a to-do project around here. We cannot tackle this but I wish we could!
Full story here


So do you have any links to share? Any cool fancy tid-bits?

xoxo