Smiling from above

Growing up, my brother and sister and I were so lucky. Not only did we have parents who took care of us, supported us, and rooted for us, we also had those "like parents" figures. You know the ones, who ask you how you are when you are a teenager and you answer them honestly, instead of the typical "fine" that you give your "real" parents.

The couple I am speaking of, let's just call them the "T's". Captain and Mrs. T were the most fun people I have ever been around. Mrs. T was full of class, sarcasm, and lots of giggles. Captain T was a bit scary to some, but to me he was the BEST. His eyes and smile radiated the room for me, and I called myself the "daughter he never had". They were the family you wished you could be a part of. And lucky for us, they let us be. We were a part of all dinner parties, birthdays, and holidays.

Easter was a special holiday for all of us. My mom always dressed me in some goofy, fancy dress that I hated, with the big bow in my hair. Ugh. I hate all of the photos from these days, but really love them.

Then there was Nana, Captain T's mother. Now she was a hoot. She always had something to say, good or bad but she always gave us homemade gifts and I yearned for those. I secretly always wondered on the way over the T's house, what Nana would give me this year. She was such a special lady and I admired the love she had for her son, Captain T.

I don't remember how it started, but one year Easter came around and it was a beautiful Spring Day. I was twelve years old and Easter dinner with T's, was at our house that year. All of the kids, boyfriends, girlfriends, aunts, uncles, and cousins (man, there were some crazy cousins) from both families were coming to our house.

I looked out the window into the driveway and here comes Captain T with his hands full with what looked like paper grocery bags. As he got closer, I realized he had a bunch of paper baskets in his hands. I said "Captain T, what is this?". He quickly said, "It's your "Easa Baskets"!".

I said, "My what?".

(Remember, I am the youngest child out of the two families and was very spoiled by ALL.)

I quickly smiled to myself and thought Captain T got me a Easter basket too!

Captain T then quickly said, "Go get everyone and bring them into the living room". I said, "Captain T, we don't go in that room you know that" ( you know the room that exists, but you don't know why because you can't step foot in it). He said, "I don't care what your mother says, I need everyone in here".

Side note: Captain T was the man, who every single time he came over for dinner he would rearrange the pictures on the wall. One time my Mom could not find a picture he had moved and she had to call and ask him where he had put it. My mom hated having to admit that he gotten her and his practical joke worked. I would actually secretly watch him to see if I could catch him moving the pictures. I did catch him ONE time. We could never figure out when he did this maneuvering because we did not let him leave our sight, in fear that the house and the furniture would be on the front lawn if he was left unattended. The point to this, is that even in my Mom's house, Captain T ruled the roost and if he said were going in the living room, I said ok.

After squeezing over 20 of us into the living room, he began to call names out. Every single person had a "Easa Basket". Even the ones, who we didn't know were coming. I thought, how did he know that person was coming, if we didn't. (That's one thing I learned from him, always have extras in case you have unexpected visitors.) Not one person was left out and without a "EASA Basket"

As we began to open our Easa Baskets, you can only imagine what was inside. JUNK JUNK JUNK and a little candy or something edible like peanuts. This was the funniest thing. I remember getting lighters that didn't work, a pair of broken glasses, a "Clark Griswold" fake turtle neck, and the list goes on and on. My brother got Cigars and a really old baseball cap. I have a picture of this. I don't think we have ever laughed this hard, EVER. This memory is so funny. The stuff that people opened was crazy. Hemorrhoid Cream, Condoms, Bengay, Chapstick older than me, old toothpaste so old you couldn't open it, dental floss, the list goes on and on.

I never got the chance to ask Captain T, but I am pretty sure he had saved 10 years of junk before he made the first "Easa Baskets"

Captain T is no longer with us, but I got the chance to speak with Mrs T last week and we were laughing about our "Easa Baskets". As we were talking I began to tear up just thinking of those days with family. Family is such a special thing. We may not have known it then, but Captain and Mrs T gave us memories to last a lifetime.

Yesterday, while in the garage. I saw a workman's bench and I asked Aaron where he got it and he said "it was Mr. T's, your dad passed it down to me".

Without hesitation and without looking Aaron in the eyes, I said "It's Captain T to you, mister". Aaron said "Oh, I'm sorry your mom says we have to say Captain". I said, "No, it's Captain to me and you and nothing else. That's the rule.". He smiled. and I smiled. Aaron knows the significance the T's had in my family's life and he likes hearing the stories as much as I like telling them.

The T's hold a special piece of my heart. If you have someone like the T's in your life, take the time to tell them how much you love them and how much you appreciate them. I know I will be calling Mrs. T on Easter this year to wish her a Happy Easa!

Hold on to the memories old and new. Make silly traditions. You never know who's watching and smiling down on you from above.
KHAK

sing-a-long

It's been that kind of day. Two deaths in the family and a car accident. Not so great for a Monday. I thought I would send out some happy good feeling love.

Lyrics to Filet-O-Fish:

Give me back that filet o fish
Give me that fish
Give me back that filet o fish
Give me that fish

What if it were you
Hanging up on this wall?
If it were you in that sandwich
You wouldn’t be laughing at all!

It's the little things that make one smile and this is one of those things for me.

Lovingly,
KHAK

ya gotta laugh...

I have had a horrendous of a day, if I can say so myself. I am going to avoid the details but I have not had the Sunday that I had planned for. Got home late, thank goodness Aaron had put a pot roast in this afternoon so dinner and a glass of red wine were ready for me when I walked in the door (the only thing I had to do was light the candle on the table ;-) ).

Any how, after my day I am just irritated and grumpy. Not to mention we had plans to sit outside by the fire tonight and then Mother Nature rained on my parade. Boo!

I am usually not negative or bummed out, but I am tonight.

I have been avoiding writing about this for some time now, but I don't think I can avoid it now.

Aaron has been singing this song around the house for a few weeks now and I am going to lose my mind!!!!!!

It is seriously funny, though.

I am not sure who exactly would EAT a filet-o-fish from McD's, but their gosh darn commercial is a riot.


Thought, I would lighten yours and my night. You have to watch this! It's a must and you must share it with others. It is arguably this year's best musical advertisement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csrPT9ClVUc

(I'm sorry I am having difficulties posting the video so copy and paste the url into a new browser window to watch, sorry for the inconvenience)

Enjoy and sleep tight!
KHAK

Love the life you're Livin'

In honor of the challenge I gave you last week, Aaron and I decided to enjoy our beautiful city we call home. One wonderful thing about living here in Chucktown is the fact that Spring arrives a little earlier and Summer stays a little longer. Love it!

Today, it was actually quite chilly for the Charleston Bridge Run. The Charleston Bridge Run equals mucho traffico and much personas.
Because of this fact, I convinced Aaron (after two days of talking it up) that we should walk to Marion Square and enjoy the chaos by foot. So we did. We (I), had originally planned to start walking when the race started so we would arrive at the finish line at the same time as the Kenyans. Aaron did not like that idea so much this morning, so I had to be patient. We left the house around 10:30 and headed out. How fun?

I had a blast. First, Aaron is the cutest. Second, Charleston is just fantastic.


We passed lots of runners and supporters. When we arrived to Marion Square all places seemed packed. We decided to hit up a locals coffee bar in hopes that all the tourists wouldn't be there (no offense, but Starbucks had a line out the door).

So we went here, Kudu.


I got one of these. And Aaron got a Vanilla Latte, as usual.

I got a Chai assorted flavor. It did not need anything to be added to it, no sugar or honey. It was delish all by itself.
We sat outside in their awesome courtyard. What a great place to spend your Saturday morning.

This is Aaron in deep thought.

Only kidding. He was looking at this.

We basically talked about this tree the entire time. Aaron says it is dying and about 100 years old. I love it when he tells me about this stuff. My cute landscaper!
We went home a different way and decided to stroll by the infamous 190 Smith Street!
Aaron lived here for three years will some of the greatest guys! He has such great friends from college and they have so many memories here. I actually lived here for a month when I first moved here too. Wow, how it has changed. Aaron and I both kinda just stood there and stared at it for a second. Crazy how fast time flies and how things have changed. Life always seems so much simpler looking back.

When we got home I got the best surprise. My first blog giveaway winning present! I won a giveaway last week and I have been so excited to tell you guys. Since I am new to blogging (since January) I never thought I would win a giveaway.

I did I did! So exciting.
I opened the package to find this:

What was inside was a pair of earrings and a bracelet. Love these. I have a feeling my Mom will try to take the bracelet.


A BIG BIG Thank you to Michael at http://inspiredbycharm.blogspot.com
He is the owner of an adorable Bed and Breakfast in PA. Check out his blog, Inspired by Charm. He has great taste! Thanks again Michael!

Go out and enjoy your hometown and have a great evening!
KHAK

Candy Daze!

I fight commercialism tooth and nail, since ya know most holidays were invented for Hallmark to make money. Yeah right. That's what we are supposed to say these days.

I had forgotten how much I love Easter until yesterday. I took an unexpected trip to Rite-Aid and found myself searching for the Easter Candy Aisle. Somehow it took a few minutes and at first I thought "what the heck, they don't have Easter Candy Aisles anymore?". It was hidden but I found it.

Note to merchandiser: you might want to make it seen a little better, not hidden and 8 rows from the door.

Anyhow, I was in heaven and memories of the past quickly filled my mind. My grandmother, Mackie had the best candy jar ever. She is responsible for my love for M&M's. She had this candy jar that always always ALWAYS had M&M's in it. Sometimes they were green and red for Christmas and sometimes they were pastels for Easter. Depending on the time of year, you always knew you could dive your hand into that jar and get something sweet!

Aaron loves Peeps so I surprised him and bought him some of these.

He was so excited!
Chocolate Bunnies for everyone!

Notice all of the candy is on sale. Yippee!
I love these!


I bought some jelly beans for myself. Although, Aaron tore into these when I got home. We were making all different flavor combos, don't you love that!

Happy Candy Shopping!
KHAK

times are a changin'

This week has been full of new beginnings, endings, and new possibilities. Not sure which one I prefer upon the other. Most of the time we all are opposed to change, right?

In my life I have individuals getting married, having babies, closing businesses, and opening new ones.

Why is it, that in the split second after we make the decision to make a "change", we second guess ourselves?

I once worked for a company, that will remain unnamed, which I swear changed policies, rules, and processes once a week. Every Monday you never knew what the morning meeting was gonna be. New manager, new policy, new way to use the rest room. I am being funny here, but seriously it was insane. It was the running joke that "change is good". Well, I personally think there are two sides of the coin on that one.

Why do I say that? I say that because I think it opens up room for too much interpretation of one's self. Meaning, if we could take away the "split second" of second guessing than I would say it is good. The thoughts of "will it work?, will this make me happy?, will I be good at this?, etc" are the thoughts I am speaking of. Self-doubt is only thing standing in one's way, right?

I have a gazillion business ideas, but why haven't I acted on it? It's the fear of change and self-doubt. Especially in today's economy. It is scary to make a change now. Some of us have to make a change or we will lose our homes but the other half is sitting there complacent working at a crappy job afraid to leave because the guaranteed pay check may go away. I get that, I understand that. Society is actually telling everyone "don't make a change now, you'd be silly to leave your job now!".

I say the heck with the nay sayers. Put your big girl pants on and stand up for what you believe in. Make the change and be good at it.

Peace and Love,
KHAK

Leftovers Wednesday

Last night I was treated like a queen, that was until I had to clean the kitchen!

When I arrived home from work, I quickly got cozy and hit the couch to watch my movie I had rented. New Moon. I know, some of you are either not interested at all OR completely obsessed and waiting in line until June for the premiere. Whichever, category you fall into, I promise it's a good love struggle story that can't help but be enjoyed.

The first 30 minutes, were uninterrupted (I turned off my ringer and ignored my phone) and then as the movie started to get good. I yelled to Aaron in the kitchen, "I would like some cheese and crackers and a glass of red wine, please.". And then I smiled to myself. Knowing that was not gonna happen unless I did it myself (kinda like, unloading the dishwasher). After about 15 minutes, Aaron walks in and says "which bottle do you want me to open?". What? he is actually gonna pour me a glass of wine while my lazy butt sits on the couch and watches a Teen Vampire movie? Ok, this is getting good.

As the rest of the movie continues, Aaron slaves aways in the kitchen for an HOUR! A whole hour! I thought he must have been raising the chickens or growing the carrots. All I knew was that the house smelled fantastic and my movie was really good.

Then, with 20 minutes left, Aaron yells "OK, honey bunny". That is our international signal to each other that dinner is ready.

Really, 20 minutes left and I have to hit PAUSE! This is not happening.

He was so sweet. He "let" me eat in the living room while I ate my dinner. yes! I felt bad though, because if I had cooked for an hour and then Aaron didn't eat with me at the table, I would be upset. He didn't mind, I think because he was watching Seinfeld and knew I would be scarfing down my food in order to finish my movie.

Movie ended. It was good. Now, I'm excited for the new one. Although, I know for sure I won't see it in the movies so it will be awhile before I see it. I am not a die-hard fan so I can wait.

Today, I am eating the leftovers from Aaron's slave-driven dinner last night. He worked so hard for it, the least I can do is eat the leftovers.
Aaron's chicken stir-fry.

The best part: everyone in my office is coming in and asking what is that smell, it's so good? It makes me smile that Aaron is such a grand cook and I get to enjoy it.

What office lunch smell do you love or hate?

I have read articles about some companies banning certain lunches from their premises due to their smell? Crazy, huh?
We have a lot of Tuna lovers here so I'm used to that.

Happy Lunch Time,
KHAK

bed-making 101

Please help!

After a long battle of "how to make the bed the correct way", I think I am ready to surrender. If I don't, I will drive myself crazy trying to teach him, when I might as well do it myself because no ones is going to do it better than me anyway, right?

I need guidance from my readers.

Should I surrender and let the husband make the bed the wrong way, or should I tell him he is exempt from bed-making and I will just make the bed the right way every day for the next 60 years?

I am not sure which way is better. I admit, I have tackled half the battle. It only took me about a week when we first moved in together to convince him that the bed needs to be MADE EVERY SINGLE day. He took to this idea so easily I figured it would be easy teaching him how to make the bed the way I want it to be made. What is the point of having a beautiful sleigh bed if you are going to let the sheet hang out? HUH, I ask him?

This morning, I was the first one out of bed so I quickly said to him as he was half asleep, "you're making the bed today". He shortly said "whatever, you are just going to go behind me and fix it so what's the point".

Ladies and Gentleman, I tried I really tried to not correct his bed-making skills. But but but I couldn't help it.

The pillows were upside down, it wasn't smooth and tight, and the sheet was not tucked in. I know I should be so happy that he does it, but I am a PERFECTIONIST and I just can't go to work knowing the bed is wrong. I fixed it as fast I could but he caught me, got upset, and stormed out. Funny, right? NO! He was mad.

I humorously said, "if you would just adhere to my few things that I am particular about, then I will leave you alone". Without taking a breathe, he said "a Few, you mean ALL of your crazy things that you are obsessed about?

I burst out laughing and said "YES! All of them"

I know I am a royal pain in the *ss, but he has known that since the day he met me when we were 12. I have not changed and I can't help it. I try to relax and it does not work. Oh well, at least we laughed about it.

I think he secretly likes my quirks, otherwise he would have a heck of a messy house if it was up to him!
KHAK

fictional (well, true story)

Here's my story for the day:

A young man, picture an early 30's, handsome, blue-eyed, surfer, gone entrepreneur, heads out to the doctor. What kind of doctor you ask? A rheumatoid arthritis specialist to get blood work done. As he walks in to the doctor's office, he shyly checks himself in and sits down. As he approaches his chair, he is thinking to himself, "how did I get here?" and "is my life over?"

At the ripe age of 31, he is waiting for his name to be called to find out from a nurse that he may have rheumatoid arthritis. His life is over as he knows it and he is wondering how he got into a doctor's office filled with senior citizens; the youngest person in the waiting room besides himself is easily 75. Granted, he has nothing against the older generations, he just doesn't know how he has become a part of the same company. How did he get here?

As his self-loathing continues he begins to hear a familiar sound. Rip, rip, rip.....magazine pages ripping....it continues. He ignores it at first. Then again. Ripppppp........He looks around and suddenly, as synchronized as an orchestra, the entire lobby is ripping pages from the magazines they are reading. Who knows what magazines they were. Maybe, Redbook or AARP? Who knows. He thinks to himself. "Are they stealing coupons or recipes?"

Does it really matter what they are ripping out? Isn't sort of "against the law" to rip pages from a doctor's office magazine? He couldn't believe that every single one of the 10 senior citizens were doing it? Geesh, rude much?


As I write this "fictional" story, I think of the times that I have been reading an article and when I go to read the "continue to page 120" in the back of the magazine only to find it ripped out making me not able to finish the article. Isn't that annoying!?!

I have always thought how rude of someone. The doctor's do not subscribe to these magazines for their patients to "steal" the recipes, etc.

My question for you is: Shouldn't it be illegal? I mean, I would NEVER do this. NEVER, ever, ever, NEVER, NEVER!

Funny story: Last night, i was re-reading a magazine of mine only to find the second page of an article ripped out. At first, I thought to myself, "where is the page?" Then, I realized I had done it to myself.

HAHA, AT LEAST I bought the magazine and PAID for it! I CAN rip all the pages out if I want to, right?

Happy Reading,
KHAK

put up a parkin' lot.

Saturday Saturday oh beautiful Saturday how I love thee.

The G Love concert was A-MAZING! He opened with "Blues Music" one of Aaron's favorites, so we were super amped! We had four friends join us and we definitely had a good time. More "cold beverages" than I had planned on having, but I still felt great Saturday morning so it's ok.

Aaron had to do some work so I decided to venture out and enjoy the spectacular city we live in!

I decided to go to the ATM that is the most inconvenient, but puts me right in the middle of the Saturday morning chaos in the heart of downtown Charleston. Love it. Sun was shining, windows were down, music pumpin'.

After the ATM, I headed to get a pedicure (had been too long.....) In order to get there, I had to tackle Market.
Holy, a lot of people! It was a parking lot.

However, I didn't seem to mind. Why would I? I was not in a hurry and it was great to see ALL of the people out and about and contributing to the local economy.

Love the warm weather and all that comes with it!

After the traffic subsided a little, then I had the privilege of driving behind a horse carriage tour. These are my fav. So, again. I did not mind.
It is amazing how great I feel after getting my toes "did." I am now ready for warm weather. Yippee!

Continuing on with the "love your city you live in" theme Aaron and I headed out to the best sunset spot in Charleston.
So beautiful and pristine.
Ok, so you are thinking why is she sharing her entire day? I do have a point to this, I promise.

Go out and enjoy your city, town, or neighborhood this week. Take advantage of all your surroundings have to offer you. I saw father/daughter days, retirees walking the town, as well as college kids headed out for breakfast yesterday. I want you to observe and enjoy your local environment. Don't take it for granted because you never know what life has in store for you and you don't want to regret not enjoying your sweet locale.

Happy Sunday Morning,
KHAK

Hip Hip Hooray!

Wow! it's Friday! Yippee!

Last night Aaron and I tried a recipe that I got from a fellow blogger's website, katiesperk.blogspot.com. Love her, btw!

We changed a few things up, but the Teeter was out of green food coloring (wonder why?) So I decided to buy Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and just add skim milk. This way it still felt St. Patrick's Day'ish. Score! This was so good! I gave Aaron almost double the amount I had and let me tell ya! He slurped that thing down. I'm sorry no photos. I was multi-tasking while making these, doing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, changing laundry and trying to get the blender out of my way as soon as possible. What an easy recipe. Thanks to The Perks!

How I made ours:
Two cups of Mayfields Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
1 1/4 cups of skim milk.
Blend and Slurp Immediately!

Btw, if you have never had Mayfield's Ice Cream, you are missin' out! Not the healthiest, but oh so good!

This is Aaron's favorite, and it was a dollar off so I figured atleast it's on sale.

Tonight, we are headed to see our favorite boyfriend in concert, G Love. Yes, Aaron loves him too. Not like that, but he LOVES him!

So excited.

Love when he breaks it down on the harmonica.

Viernes feliz
KHAK

The day after....

Last night I was not up for cooking the ritualistic meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage, so I went out searching for an alternative. My search was a success.

I found a great recipe @ recipes.kaboose.com and it was a hit! I was a little aprehensive because there were zero comments on this recipe (Usually there are good and bad, but NO comments I wasn't sure how to feel about that).

I had never bought corned beef from the deli, that was a first. This recipe made the house smell so good and it tasted good too.
FYI: I used a Whole Wheat pizza.

I paired it with a fresh mozzarella, yellow pepper, romaine salad and topped it with balsamic vinaigrette (Sorry no photo of the salad). This was good too!



Aaron swallowed three pieces of pizza before I finished my two! He was hungry I think. Wink Wink. This pizza was so filling that with the salad we had three pieces left. We usually do not have ANY left, because Aaron devours anything close to resembling bread. He lives for it!

I highly recommend this recipe for anyone who wants to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the spot without much effort. This is a real winner. We may make this again before next March 17th.

Recipe here:
Ingredients
2 cups of shredded green cabbage, shredded (about 1/4 head)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 purchased pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1/4 pound thinly sliced corned beef
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Cooking Instructions:
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, saute the cabbage in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it is soft. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
-Place the pizza crust on the baking sheet. Spoon the sauteed cabbage onto the crust and spread it out evenly to within half an inch of the edge. Arrange the corned beef slices over the cabbage. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the corned beef.
-Bake the pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is thoroughly melted and the pizza is nice and hot. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Any of you know what a Boxin the Fox or a Bogtrotter are?

Hint: I want to be a Bogtrotter one day!

A little Irish Trivia for ya' lad!
KHAK

My blessing to you and you and you

My Irish blessing to you and yours.

For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way --
Good health, good luck and happiness
For today and every day.

I am not Irish at least I do not think so. I am a little everything, not sure if Irish is involved though. I know I am German, Indian, Swedish, and probably a few other things but whenever I ask my mom this question she doesn't seem to know, so I assume that I am NOT.

This does not mean that I am not wearing green today.
Two reasons I am wearing green:
1. Kelly Green is my favorite color
2. I do not like to be pinched. It is actually one of my least favorite things. Tickle me all day, but do NOT pinch me.

Can you tell I was picked on by my older brother when I was little? HA!

Last night's, dinner was way way way better than Monday night's.
Although, that beautiful bag of chocolate covered pomegranates did end up in the dogs' water bowl last night. Ugh, why do I have the drops. So annoying.

I was cleaning out the pantry since today is trash day and the darn bag flew out from nowhere and fell into the dog bowl splashing water everywhere.

The worst part, A said "what did you do now?". What? So he thinks I am breaking everything these days.
I don't not know what's going on.

Do you ever feel like rushing or focusing too much causes you to fall, slip, break, drop something?
Please tell me I am not the only one.....

I made a not-so-homeade soup last night. So good. I found this recipe in my Women's Day Magazine I bought on Monday. It was so easy. The reason it was arguably homemade is because I bought a rotisserie chicken at the store and used that meat for the soup. Everything else was all me.

Aaron liked it and so did I. Aaron says I need a bell to ring when I make new recipes. Well, really a horn. He says I toot my own horn when I make something delish. Why shouldn't I? I made it and it's good. So, there you go. Toot toot.

I added a few extras to the soup and added crushed almonds instead of peanuts. So good!

Here's a picture of the result. Yum Yum.



Happy St. Patrick's Day!
KHAK

simple lessons and sweet finds

Remember, old folks are worth a fortune---they have silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet, and gas in their stomachs.


Love Love Love this! This reminds me of my grandparents and all of their wisdom. Not to mention my grandmother Kitty had the most gorgeous silver hair you have ever seen. My gray, on the other hand, that is coming in, is not so hot. I hope I embrace the gray one day, but for now I do NOT!

So for now, I will feast on these!



WOW! Are these delish! I found these at my infamous stomping grounds, Costco.
A woman in the aisle with me insisted that I purchase these and man was she right!

Everyone adored these at my get-together Saturday night.
They are definitely a winner and will definitely be purchased again!
Yum Yum Yummy!
A fantastic mix of sweet and sweet!

lessons learned

I have heard of so many stories where a woman prepares and completes a fantastic meal, only to have the entire dish fall into the bottom of the oven when the pot holders slip; however I NEVER thought it would happen to me! Ugh.

I made a fantastic teriyaki pork chops with young potatoes and snow peas dish. The kitchen was filled with sweet teriyaki and roasted sesame seed oil aromas and then it happened. I honestly froze and was so completely irritated I wanted to scream.

The kicker, I had an audience. That would be the husband. He definitely has seen me freak a time or two, but for some reason I didn't want him to see me explode this time. I just froze, looked at the ceiling, threw the pot holders, and started pacing the kitchen. Why was I so p*ssed?

Tonight, I learned and was reminded of the love and dedication we put into our meals as women. I don't think a man would react the same as a woman. Do you?

All I know is that I had planned this meal, executed it, and in the blink of an eye I had ruined it. If Aaron had not remained silent, grabbed a can of veggies, put it in the microwave, I think I would have drowned in my sorrow and chugged the glass of red wine I had planned to enjoy with my dinner.

What was once pork chops, young potatoes, and snow peas ended up being pork chops, green beans, and sauteed yellow and orange peppers. Not bad, but not what I had planned. Remember, I am a planner and don't like detours.

Lesson learned: Oh well, life goes on. But I will not trust a POT HOLDER again. So there. Take that, pot holders of the world!

Night night!
KHAK

the more the merrier

One thing about me is I love to bring people together and introduce them.

I love watching all "walks of life" meet and converse. It's like watching kids on the first day of school meeting new friends.

If we never meet new friends and stay in our comfort zone, aren't we missing out on life?

Each person you meet along the way teaches you something.
Whether it be humility, class, or even what you don't like in a friend.

For this very reason, every time I plan a social event I attempt to add someone new to "the mix". I think it adds something new to the evening and livens everyone up. It sometimes also means my friends are on their best behaviors. Maybe this is my secret reason for inviting new people? Only kidding, only kidding.

Last Summer, one of my friends "met a new friend" on the beach and invited her to my party. The funny thing is, she was a hit! Everyone was chatting with her and igniting new conversations. I do not know what ever happened to her, but I do know that she was cute, fun, and brought something new to the group.

Some people do not like to mix business with pleasure, but sometimes I think it is a good idea. I know people are completely different in the workplace then they are away from work, but so WHAT? I always invite peers that I have through professional work. Unfortunately, not everyone comes. I think they are doing themselves a disservice. They could missing out on business leads or even new friendships.

Be, the YES man! And attend your co-workers after hours parties. You may learn something. Try to attend events with new people, I promise you will experience something new!


Be Jim Carrey and attend all the costume parties and movie-themed parties you are invited to. You never know what could happen!

Have you ever attended a co-workers function or invited someone out of your inner-cirlce to a party? What was the result? Good or Bad? I want stories.....


My house guests will be here in less than 12 hours!
KHAK

bone to pick

I have a huge issue with advertisers right now!

Since I worked in the advertising world for almost 5 years, I understand everyone has to make a dolla' and that you have reinvent the wheel as far as your landscape and where to put your name, BUT goodness gracious in the past week every single one of my favorite and most visited websites has the new Pop-Downs and I am going to scream!

Do you know which ones I am talking about? The ones that aren't there when you first visit the sight and then as you begin to scroll down the pop-down occurs and basically scrolls you back to the top and you can't see what you were reading.

For real people. get it together. This is only going to keep me from visiting your site. When I am trying to read the news, current events, and/or celebrity gossip do not stand in my way. It's like having someone stand in front of you at a concert or a movie.

I have checked my pop-up blocker setting "umpteen" times to make sure I do not have it off. I am going to swear off advertising completely if these things don't go away.

If you are wondering what set me off this morning, I was reading the news online and this pop-down occurred and when I went to hit the "close" button it took me to the company's website. Really? Come on now...this is just silly..

OK, I'm done. Have a great day everyone...sorry for the rant, ugh!


KHAK
What irritates you the most about advertising? I want to hear your irritations......

busy bee...

This week is gonna be NUTZO! Nutzo in a good way, that is.

Not only am I going to have house guests I am going to also have "people over" for St. Patty's Day (can't call it a party or the husband gets upset due to having too many parties).

OH, and the worst part, TAX Preparation. Ugh, why did I schedule that for this week too? I always think I am SuperWoman and then quickly realize I am not.

Most of you may be thinking what's the big deal? Taxes, House Guests, and a "Partay".

Well, I am OCD if you haven't realized and it must be PERFECT (atleast strive for perfection)

I hate not having everything ready for my accountant, I have to give my guests the warmest of welcomes, and I want everyone to have a good time on Saturday so this means I become a worker bee. I actually live for this stuff so I don't know why I am treating this week differently.

I guess because I am still not over this "crud" I have and the pollen is officially out which means me not able to breathe.

NO whining NO whining in this game we call LIFE!

Yesterday in hopes to prepare myself I got the LTB ready. LTB= Lime Tree Bar= my backyard escape

This is the LTB ready for our Roaring 20's NYE party.
I also organized the closets I was dreaming about earlier in the week.
So I got some things accomplished yesterday, go me!

Now, here is my checklist of things to do for my guests:
1.Clean Sheets in guest room so they have fresh cozy sheets! (I never do this until the day before guests arrive this way the sheets really are clean and fresh!)

2.Dust the guest room

3.Move Aaron's bike out of the guest room! (this one irritates me, another story for another day)

4.Make sure the guest bath has plenty of toiletries ie. shampoo, conditioner, fresh bar of DOVE, hand soap, clean hand towel, plenty of TP, and toothpaste

5. Pick up in the office since we have a little one coming and his pack-n-play needs room to be opened.

6.Buy Beer and Soda the guests like (it is always nice when your guests are your close buddies so you know exactly what they like.) Hint: if you don't know your guests well, ask them in an non-evasive way what they like

7.Make sure all things baby are in good order, as in if this one was walking I would unplug a few things and get some cabinet locks (I don't have to do this until August, very exciting about those guests too!)

8.Get a welcome gift or fresh flowers from the yard for them to feel welcomed to (my mom always has a gift and a magazine on the bed for me when I come home, I always look forward to it so I have adopted this from her) (My mom is so cool, have I mentioned that before? She is such a good host, I love visiting her, my dad too actually. He's a pretty cool host too since he always gets me stone crabs. YUM!)

9. Breathe and get excited they are coming. The weather is supposed to be grand for them. Thursday will not get here fast enough.

If you don't do all these things, don't fret. Like I said, I am OCD and like things Perfect. I am sure I have missed something because I always think of something.

10.Oh yea, make a playlist for me and my girlfriend to listen to while we sip on a cocktail on the front porch (she and I have been dreaming of this since she was pregnant and she's not NOW so game on!)

11.And one more thing which reminds me wipe down the Rockin' Chairs on the front porch so we can chat and sip!

Happy Planning,
KHAK

greeting card obsession...

OK, I admit my obsession with greeting cards.

I often buy birthday cards for my closest friends and family members months and I mean, MONTHS before the actual day.

For instance, I have already bought Aaron's anniversary card a month ago and our anniversary isn't until April 28th. If I see a card I adore I get it for the future and hold on to it. Well, here's the kicker. That's the kicker. Note: "hold on to it" That's the problem right there. I find them, hide them from myself, and then can't find them when the date comes along.

I have so so so many cards from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays that have gotten lost in the shuffle that I find months afterwards. So funny.

Since it's the time of year you know, TAX TIME. I was just cleaning off my home office desk and I found a great, awesome, cute card!

Problem is:
1. No Envelope
2. No earthly idea who I bought it for

It's a nice little diddy with a great message. I sure wish knew who I bought it for and what the occasion was. I think I must have been to trying to brighten someone's day because of the message, but who knows.

I am going to share it with you since I have no envelope and I do not want to give it to someone it was not intended for. I believe in that stuff, haha.

OK, here it is...

enjoy.breathe deep.
drink to the future
but savor the past.
sing an old song.
say a blessing.
celebrate!
(joanna seltzer)


Do you like giving and receiving cards?

I don't want a gift if I don't get a card. (I know, I'm a brat about cards.)

Enjoy the message and have a good week.
KHAK

Blame it on the Moon

I have been desperately trying to figure out why I got sick this week..

-After having the best workout in a long time the night before
-Eating really well and making wiser choices
-Feeling upbeat about the future and thinking positive

I cannot get a hold on why I got sick again..

I believe things happen for a reason, so why is it? Was God trying to tell me to slow down? I don't know.
I have come to conclusion that it is all the full moon's fault.

My medicine kept me up all night and I was dreaming about blogging all night. Funny, I know.
I took notes in my iphone in the middle of the night so I would remember the subjects I want to write about.
As I was laying there unable to sleep at 3am, the half moon was shining through the closed blinds and I realized, it was the MOON!
Atleast that's my thought and I'm stickin to it, darn it!

Which leads me to, why do we have to have a reason for everything? I don't know.
You know when a relationship ends, or you are feeling defeated by some obstacle: Everyone always says this is happening for a reason.
I always give that advice to my peers. I think it's true, but it is so darn hard to grasp when you are going through it, right?

So, I continued to lay there and when the "blame it on the moon" idea came to mind all can I could think was..........

Yea, you're right. If you know me well, you know I sing a lot, and I mean A LOT! I sing everything. Sort of similar to the Rabbi in my book I'm reading, too funny!

So I sung myself to sleep, just like this....

"Blame it on the Moon, yea yea
Blame it on the Stars that shine at night.
Whatever you do, don't put the blame on you,
Blame it on the Moon, yea yea"


I know you all loved Milli Vanilli, you just don't want to admit. That's ok, I will admit it for you!

Have a fantastic day, I am cleanin, organizin, and groovin since I finally feel up to it!
KHAK

inspired

OK, this is going to be quick because I am still feeling terrible, but better but not BEST!

I believe tomorrow it will be back to work and I hope my head does not feel like it is still exploding.

Today, since I am feeling 30% better than yesterday, I made it out of the bed and onto the couch to watch Julie and Julia.

I figured this was the best time for me to get it OnDemand since Aaron was working.

I love love loved it! My brain is scrambling around thinking of how I can apply the lesson to my own life.

I have a creative mind, I just haven't seemed to find how to put it to use.

I think my constant thoughts of "you will fail" or "you are not good enough" get in the way.

What's up with that?

You are your own worst enemy? Why is that?

Any how, I am stopping that right now! No more! No more!

Bottom line: Julie and Julia is fantastic!
I found myself laughing out loud a few times, even with my stuffed up/runny nose ;-)

On a side note: I tried the Neti Pot today. The pharmacist suggested it.


Have any of you tried the Neti Pot before?

I was really nervous about it because I am really funny about my nose and my eyes, nothing foreign entering Thank you very much!

Honestly, I felt great after using it. The cleared out feeling lasted about an hour, but still. Totally worth it!

The pharmacist helped me with OTC ways to cure myself. Trying the 'no antibiotics' route this time around.

Hope it works and for a good night's sleep!
KHAK

Is it homesick or home sick?

Today I am home sick, as in feel terrible and want to scream. Just laying down brings pressure so intense that I have to just grab my cheeks. ugh! Not going to be negative. OK. I'm done.

Well, today I have discovered that I am NOT good at staying home sick. Last night in my wild, achy dreams I was scrubbing the hard woods with Murphy's Oil Soap. Why am I always dreaming about cleaning?

The worse part is that when I wake up, I realize it's not true and that I still have to clean!

All day as I was laying upright in bed, (because laying down hurt so much) all I was doing was looking around my bedroom thinking about all the cleaning I need to do. I have "Spring Cleaning Fever" apparently.

I am in a serious de-cluttering mood. Then instead of trying to take another nap, I attempted to read my March O' (Oprah) Magazine. Guess what the subject is?

De-Cluttering your life whether it be your house, getting rid of bad friends, or getting rid of bad habits.

This just made me worse. I wanted to grab a trash bag and start cleaning.

So, I have known for a long time that I am OCD, if you don't know what this means, just look at me!

I am highly intense when it comes to placement in the house, as well as, as soon as I have an idea I want to do it NOW!
For instance, the other day I was walking through the kitchen with my hands full, noticed a spot on the stainless steel fridge. So you guessed what's next, 20 minutes later I had scrubbed and wiped down all the appliances as well as the kitchen counters.

Aaron came in and said what are you doing? I said, "I got side tracked". He just looked at me, like yea, I know what that means.

I get an idea and I have to do it right then? Does that make me Personality A?
I have never accepted that I'm an A, because I think I'm pretty lax about some things, I guess I am both? Does that exist?

My point is, instead of enjoying a day off and in bed like some people do I have been itching to get better so I can take care of business.

I am dreaming of these:



What is wrong with me?

I need to get better so I can implement all of the house chore ideas I have thought of today.

Please pray I get better, atleast for my sanity!

KHAK

creative juices...

In case you were wondering, last night's workout was fantastic! My arms are pretty sore today, but that's a good thing!

Score! The new shoes were a success!

On Sunday I made an attempt to get myself back in order from the Olympics. I stopped my reading, and all things "ME!", in order to watch the games and I need to get re-focused. I have 5 books on my night stand that I have either bought, been given as gifts, or passed down to me. So I decided to start "have a little faith" on Sunday evening.
After dinner and before Brother's and Sisters and as I was watching the closing ceremonies. (Again, the Olympics taking over!) I read the first 120 pages. That's pretty good for an hour or of reading plus multi-tasking. I am loving it so far, but it is so important to take time for yourself. Also, I promised Shanay (my reader) that I would be reading extra, so I have to keep my promise.

As I was reading, I had this for dessert along with a cup of Chai tea. Well, this is the wrapper.


These are wonderfully charming chocolates. I first had them in Cinque Terre, Italy on our honeymoom. Every night in our little villa, they left one on each of our pillows. Aaron and I loved them so much so we brought a box home with us.

Obviously, they are all gone. That was three years ago!

I found them at a gourmet store in my hometown and put them in Aaron's stocking this year. Too bad, I am only the one has had one.
Inside the wrapper, is a little fortune. It is written in four different languages.
It read:
" Love is a spontaneous grass, not a garden plant."
Love this! And so true. You can't put love in a constricted place and expect it to be able to breathe and flourish.

It's amazing how reading a new book, or finding a fortune in a chocolate wrapper can get your brain thinking. So many things influence our thoughts and dreams.

I wanted to share this little tip with y'all.
You probably don't believe me when I tell you that I cannot wrap a present. I am so terrible that I beg Aaron to wrap gifts during the holidays. He does help me, but for the most part I apologize to my family for my shortcomings and hope they like their presents regardless of the "wrap-job"
Gift bags are an angel, although I think they are the easy way out. Sometimes a girls got use one especially in my lack of skills department.

I bought this rope for one of DIY projects and decided to use it on a gift I wrapped for a friend last week. I really liked how thick it was and how rustic it looked around the gift.

Another score! Being able to use something for more one than one project is great! I love these types of finds. Another cool thing about it is, I bought it at Home Depot. Probably would have been pricier at a gift shop. Smart finds are awesome!


Here's to new ideas and thinking out of the box!
KHAK

flippin' for new kicks!

I have never been more excited to work out in my life!

I finally got myself some new kicks this weekend and I can't wait to wear them tonight!

I am ashamed to admit this, but I was way overdue for some new shoes. My arches are a bit "collapsed" now from Ballet and Dance, so I need extra support AND my feet are wider than most, so I need the perfect shoe!

I have been wearing ASICS for about 8 years now. I love them!
These are not Asics, but I thought there were cool looking. Apparently they are Lebron's shoes!

My last pair were actually inherited by me from my sister. I think she bought them too small, so she gave them to me. She and I are a half size different, so it worked out for me.

I know what you were thinking, why didn't you have your own shoes?

Well, good question. I did have shoes, and then it was time to say goodbye to them. Ever since I decided to run into the ocean and fall on my face in Vernazza, Italy my shoes were never the same. I finally threw them out and then the pair I inherited came along and I never got around to buying a new pair.

So, there I was at the running store on Saturday. Chattin up with the "young" boy who works there. It was very obvious that he is either working in the store or RUNNING (like Forrest Gump) You know the look I'm talking about? Almost so pure from all the running that you feel completely not worthy of even being around him?

Anyhow, I talked and talked and explained to him my love for Asics. He brought me one pair to try on and it was like Heaven. Compared to the shoes I have been wearing, these things were amazing. I walked around for a second and said "OK, thanks!"

I think he was surprised that I was such an easy sale. They feel great, they look great (have a little pink in them ;-)) So off I went. That was the easiest money I have ever spent.

Let's hope they are as great tonight as they were on Saturday in the store!

Here's to all of you and your Monday night workouts!

Just be sure to get home in time to watch the Bachelor Finale!

Question of the day: Who is it Vienna or Tenley?

KHAK