Matilda says "hello."

Happy Wednesday, everyone. Little Matilda thinks she's coming with me on my trip to North Carolina this weekend, but I had to tell her no this time. (And every time.) I miss her a lot when I'm gone, so today is dedicated to the Little Tiny herself.

Love from a crazy cat lady.
K

Happy Birthday, sweet boy.

Harbor's 25 today! We're just about to go out for dinner, so I'll update about this week later. But I just really wanted to post the photo of him blowing out an Anthropologie candle at midnight, with Matilda by his side. Sometimes you've got to get creative.

Today consisted of:

One breakfast hang with Chad.

Two trips solidified. Four flights booked for next week.

One surprise visit from the boy during work.

Two quick phone calls with dear friends.

Four sweet girls, five pizza "crusties," and two hours of The Babysitters Club.

Three more granny squares.

Eighteen cupcakes baked for some hardcore boys.

One sweet Little Tiny. (The best cat ever born.)

And one of the best memories:

(photo courtesy of Tyler Malone Photography)

So happy.

K

So, I made shortbread.

What a great day off! After an unexpected drive-your-boyfriend-to-work morning, I came home and made a little list of what I would like to accomplish for the day. At the top: BAKE SHORTBREAD! And not just any shortbread, but dark chocolate almond shortbread at that.

I drew inspiration from an almond joy post I stumbled upon yesterday, and then searched around in Honey & Jam's blog for the perfect recipe for shortbread cookies. My friends Holly and Nichole crafted alongside me as I worked on granny squares and waited for my goodies to bake. Here are some photos from their kitchen. If you'd like the recipe, head over to Honey & Jam and take a peek! The only addition was the dark chocolate drizzle and the dark chocolate roasted almonds I added on top. (Feel free to comment with any questions regarding my recipe additions.)

These didn't last long around my house.

In addition to my shortbread baking, my housemates and I baked pizzas together for our weekly House Dinner, and then I just cuddled with Matilda after I painted my nails all crazy. (Another check off the to-do list from my morning). Now it's time for an evening movie date before bed.

Here's to a sweet rest of the week.

K

Wedding weekend: Tommy & Anna

Hey everyone!

Just arrived home this evening after a weekend in Jacksonville. It feels so great to be home, snuggled up in my pajamas next to the Little Tiny. (That's one of the many names I have for Matilda.) Two of Harbor's and my friends got married this weekend, and I was able to stay with some dear family friends while we were up there. This weekend ended up being way more fun than I had anticipated, because I was able to spend so much quality time with loved ones. I'm sure I'll say this a million times on this blog, but roadtrips with Harbor are truly the best. I love the one-on-one time we have, and I love how little relationship issues get sorted out along the drive. I also love playing games and singing along to bad radio and good iTunes playlists. I am immensely thankful to be dating a man who knows how to listen to me and is patient. He's just really great.

Here are a few photos from our trip:

I wore a cute little outfit, inspired by Florence + the Machine.

Tommy was way too intense getting the garter off of his new bride, Anna. Oh my!

Plus... Harbor caught it. Double oh my!

Annnd, I found out late this evening that our boss cancelled work tomorrow for MLK Day. I love finding out I have a day off at the last-minute. It hasn't given me time to plan anything, and allows me the total freedom to spend it in a relaxing, productive way. So, I've decided that tomorrow I will bake cookies, craft (because I'm way behind on a guest blog post for my friend Mary Anne), and pet the Matilda.

I found this recipe tonight and it looks crazy. Except, I'm not so crazy for coconut, so I'm going to try and make shortbread cookies with an almond on top, coated in dark chocolate. I remembered today how much I miss making shortbread, so this will be the much better option.

Ever had these Pecan Sandies? I hope to make them so much better... photos to come of this delightful adventure.

Hope your weekend was as wonderful as ours, and that you got to spend time with friends.

K

A new journey.

Well, after much contemplation, preparation and then wondering, "Do I really even want to do this?" I'm finally doing it.

I've decided to start a blog.

I have been an avid craft blog follower for three years now, but never felt confident enough to make room for myself in this online community. However, one of my 2011 goals is to start (and successfully maintain) a blog. I'm still figuring out what the true purpose of this blog will be, but for now, I'm just too antsy to start writing to wait any longer. I know that I want to focus on my adventures in handmade/crafty goodness, exploring the world as I travel around with my job, and sharing special moments in my cozy little town in central Florida.

But don't be surprised if things like baking, riveting new nailpolish colors, movie & music suggestions, and an obsessive amount of photos of my little cat appear on this blog as well.

Here's to the journey! Thanks for coming along.

K