happy friday!

is it me or do the weeks just get faster and faster??? I'm so happy it's friday and the weekend is ahead of me.

Bryce is going to be working most of this weekend and with the weather here resembling winter I have just lit the fire and am looking forward to spending time pottering around the house, tidying, sorting out my many many photos, maybe some painting and catching up on my blogging.

do you have anything fun planned?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

photo here

google pacman

some nerdy fun on google home page today :) great way to waste some time on a Friday morning - playing pacman. happy 30th birthday pacman!

lost and found - wanna help me find these people?

on Sunday while we were walking around San Francisco, I found a memory card for a camera. I looked around to see if anyone looked like they'd lost it but nobody was around... so I put it in my bag and didn't really think too much about it for the rest of the day, but then when I found it in my bag on Monday I decided to see what was on it and these are the people I found (how cute are they?)

once I looked at their pictures I knew that I had to do whatever I could to get them back to their rightful owners, so I thought I would try the power of the web to see if I could find them. I listed an ad on craigslist, but thought I would start posting the pics online, on facebook etc and see if anyone knew these people - kinda like 6 degrees of Kevin BaconI have been looking at all the pictures for days now to try and get some clues, but I need some help - which is where you come in :)

First clue I thought might help is the jerseys he's wearing - do you recognise either of them? I have no clue if it's baseball, hockey or basketball or none of the above...this photo here I think is my biggest clue if only I worked at the DMV I could just look up the plates... but, I don't. so I think he could be a marine (by the sticker on the car) and or live in north carolina
now this photo could be misleading, yes it does snow in north carolina occasionally, and people who live with lots of snow don't get excited about building snowmen (generally) but then there's the Kansas jersey, does it snow in Kansas? he's an Obama supporter, so I am guessing he's American, but then I listed to this video

and it doesn't seem like they are speaking english, but I can't figure it out - anyone understand what language they are speaking?

so here's my plan, any clues I can gather here will help. I am going to post this link to my facebook and ask my friends on facebook to post it to theirs and so on... if you'd like to post it to yours that'd be great too!

of course if you know them that would be the hugest coincidence ever, and the search would be over!

pomplamoose

have you heard these guys yet? so fun! you can also check out their other cool covers here

every cloud has a silver lining - I'm sure...

imagine this - you've been planning your great european vacation for months now, researched online and read up on all sorts of places you want to go, booked your flights, bought train tickets, shopped for the perfect walking shoes, the perfect sun dress, the perfect bag to take, organised dog sitters, ride to the airport - everything is pretty much set, except for packing the perfect wardrobe in the perfect bag and getting to the airport...

then the day before you're about to jump on that plane your tummy feels a little crampy - you know like us woman get the joy of feeling every month or so... which sucks... but what if it feels a bit more painful that usual? and you feel a bit strange... so just to be on the safe side, you call your doctor, who decides it's probably best if you duck into the office for a check-up - that won't take long.

fast forward about 10 hours and you're laying in a hospital bed in the er about to have your appendix removed.

yes, this is a true story that happened to my dear friend Melita yesterday :(

ok, this really sucks, I mean the day before your awesome vacation you're told you can't go, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it. yes, of course she considered going anyway, (it's Melita we're talking about) but her doctor put the fear of god into her when she told her that they could burst whilst in mid air, and then they'd have to do an emergency landing and if she didn't make it to the hospital on time she would die!

so instead of this being a post about poor Melita I am here to turn it around and come up with a list of reasons why this is a good thing!

1. british airways was striking anyway, so you could have been sitting in an airport highly frustrated, instead of doped out in a hospital with people waiting hand and foot on you

2. it's currently overcast, grey and cold 13 C (55 F) in London with a high of 17C (62 F) brrr

3. liquid diet = skinny

4. the tube workers are going on strike in London (do you see a pattern here?)

5. girls with scars are cool

6. think of all the blogging you can catch up on

7. Kate Nash, Bon Jovi (I know how you love them), John Mayer, Cypress Hill & Michael Bolton are just a few of the wonderful bands playing in Amsterdam in june

8. Paris is much more romantic in June, (not that I have been) but there is the naked bike ride, what could be more romantic than naked people on bikes???

9. the fete de la musique in Paris in june

10. the weather in Paris is alright now, but way nicer in June

11. the sortilege betovering is on in Brussels in June, think scavenger hunt meets renaissance fair = fun

12. and if these are not enough to make you feel better - here are some baby sea otters that are sure to put a smile on your face!

any more that I am forgetting?

photo here

monday you surprised me!

for me, today started with the dread of the dmv, or as I would call it the motor registry - both equally as bad government departments that delight in trapping you in a dreary building for hours on end, with a sometimes confusing waiting line and service people that generally don't know what a smile is if they fell over one... over the weekend Bryce nicely pointed out that I have been driving an unregistered car for about 2 weeks... oops!

so after dealing with that drudgery and then drama after drama at the office, it all just seemed a bit too much madness for even a monday, and I remembered why I don't like mondays... then, this afternoon I went to have a peek at the week old kittens one of the wonderful women at my office rescued, and I had a whole new perspective on the day.

these little guys (6 of them) were abandoned by their mum and left to die in the car park of an office building, they are sleeping in a card board box, are poked at and fondled all day long by humans who feed them and then rub their little butts to make them poop... (I being one of those guilty humans) then a funny thing happened, a little tear escaped for these little guys - and I am not usually a cat person!luckily they all have homes to go to once they are old enough to leave their new mum so all in all it's a great Monday, and I think I should not be so swift to judge poor old Mondays in the future!

do you think we can turn this stigma around that Monday has gotten for itself? what's your good Monday story?

happy friday!

as the sun fought it's way through the bay area's fog this morning, my bed would not let me leave for my disgustingly early morning meeting, especially when my two fur babies decided that they also wanted to sleep in and snuggle up to me for warmth... I lay there trying to will myself into the shower - then as the fog (from my head) started to clear, I realised that it is Friday - the very best day of the week!

and now that it's the end of a long day, it's margarita'o'clock! woohoo! time to break out of my cube, shake off the fluoro lighting, put the top down on my little convertible and head to the bar for a margarita with Melita.

we have a very full weekend ahead of us, starting with BBQ night at Henry's Hi-Life for dinner tonight, some work around the house tomorrow, followed by BBQ at Codita's (see a pattern forming here?) then Sunday we're competing in the bay to breakers race! I am exhausted just thinking about it all!

what exciting things are you doing? anyone else going to be at the bay to breakers for the craziness?

*if you're not familiar with the bay to breakers check out the craziness we saw last year here

*no I do not endorse smoking monkies - but imagine it's a margarita he's drinking and that would be alright with me :P

corners of my home

your hair could save the planet

when I saw this post this morning on happenstance, I was so excited and had to share it with you, as this is such a simple way we can all make a difference to save the planet, specifically help clean up the oil spill in the gulf of mexico.

while watching the valdez oil spill on tv in the late 80's, stylist Phil McGory realised that the reason the oil was sticking to the otters was because of their hair, which gave him an idea - so he collected some hair put it inside a stocking and tried his theory out, and guess what it worked! the hair inside the stocking soaked up the oil from the water - just like that! In fact 1/2 a kilogram (1 pound) of hair soaks up 4 litres (1 quart) of oil.

so some good people at Matter of Trust have been collecting hair from hair and dog grooming salons all over to create hair booms (sausages made from hair and fur stuffed inside a stocking) to send to the gulf of mexico.

here is where you come in - please call your hair dresser and dog groomer and ask them if they are sending their hair clippings to the gulf to help clean up the disastrous oil spill, and if not why not - it's garbage to them. every box of hair helps! and if you have any old nylons, tights, stockings (whatever you call them) you can send those too!

photo here

welcome baby girl

two australian's met in toronto, they married in tuscany, the moved to new york and they made a beautiful baby girl, who was born this morning in manhattan. welcome to this world little baby Anja Elisabetta - I can't wait to meet you!

Congratulations Jon and Olivia!

kisses Kate

photo here

day zero - 101 things in 1001 days

remember I talked about that bucket list a little while back? well I found this great site that let's you build a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days.

here's my list, well the beginning of it - it's really hard to think of 101 things... what else should I add?

read about the day zero project here

photo here

sloth sunday

this weekend was wonderfully relaxing, in fact I pretty much did nothing yesterday, and loved every minute of it! do you ever have days with 2 million things to do, but zero motivation?

we threw a little party for Coop for his birthday on saturday, saw Date Night yesterday, hung out at home and slept a lot (well I did anyway).

what did you get up to this weekend? I hope you were more productive that I :)

photo here

happy birthday Connor!

my youngest nephew Connor is 3 today (10 May)! here's a photo I took of him when I last visited Australia - you should see the eyelashes on this kid - so jealous!

I hope we get to skype (where Auntie Kate pulls funny faces and Connor laughs) this week sometime!

love you

kisses

Auntie Kate

happy friday!

it's been a slim week on the blog front this week, I have so many stories to tell, so many posts to read, but getting a minute to sit down and piece it all together has just been impossible this week! maybe I'll get some time over the weekend... I am so happy it's the weekend, my week has been exhausting!

what glorious plans do you have ahead of you for this weekend?

photo here

happy birthday Cooper!

Cooper is 5 today! here are the first photos we got of him from the breeder when he was a wee 6 weeks old... he was such a little sausage :)

happy birthday my darling boy!

First Dinner Party

Kate, Bryce, Cooper and McKenzie came over last night for our first impromptu dinner party and to admire the new TV in it's place of honor - towering above the fireplace. Since it was Veggie Tuesday I made eggs Benedict with an assortment of toppings - tomato, spinach, avocado, asparagus, and a very lemony Hollandaise to drench the whole thing. I also make some bruschetta that had small sourdough toasts w/asparagus and melted fontina with a drizzle of truffle oil, sauteed sweet potatoes (I smothered mine in ketchup), and a French blueberry tart for dessert - proving that Veggie Tuesday is delicious, especially when butter is in every nook and cranny of the meal. We ate dinner, watched all four dogs scamper around until finally I snapped, and watched part of Avatar (until realizing that 9:30 on a work night is too late to try and watch a 4 hour movie).

blog crush - she left on a monday

most blogs that I find myself enamoured by are usually very visual - home design, craft projects, great ideas, gardening and generally pretty things to look at and be inspired by. and then I came across this one which has inspired me in a whole other way...

she left on a monday is more than just pretty pictures and great ideas - although you will find them here, I find myself checking in a few times a day to see if Natasha has written more. her words are so beautifully put together into the most lovely stories which are so obviously from her heart, it's definitely one you should add to your list. today's post, a letter to my sixteen year old self brought tears to my eyes as I was reading it while getting ready for work this morning.

and while her words are amazing she is also a wonderful photographer and takes beautiful images of my home town and one of my favourite countries

check out Natasha's blog here and her etsy store here

pink nails

I'm overdue for a pedicure, perhaps I'll try something new this time and go pink!

are these not the cutest nails you've seen???

photo here

is it Friday already???

I can't believe that it's only Tuesday... my week has been so hectic already, I feel like it should at least be Thursday already...

Hope you're having a great week so far!

photo here

Appliances!

We have a semi-functioning kitchen! With the exception of the kitchen sink and dishwasher our kitchen is now in full effect! Yesterday I deflowered the stove and made healthy huevos rancheros that were the best thing we've eaten in a while. Then we went shopping and stocked the new fridge with tons of FRESH food and I'm already planning all the delicious dinners we'll enjoy over the next few weeks. I still had to wash the dishes in the bathtub after breakfast yesterday, but with an awesome stove like this, who cares? We also installed the chandelier that I got at WestElm home decor and am completely in love with.

Here's the wine/beverage fridge. I don't know how much we'll actually use this thing, but I still like having it

Lovely capiz shell chandelier - one of my best purchases
We need to be very careful not to light the cabinets on fire with this thing

I forgot to mention that I found this Thermador on Craigslist for a mere $300Cody modeling our well stocked fridge

An external view - it's so shiny and lovely :)

Sorry, again with the cooktop, but I love it so much!

And last, here is the double microwave/oven which was another steal I found at the Sears appliance outlet. I saved a ton of money shopping there. If only I had noticed the missing racks and missing side panels at the time...

flea market - sneak peek

here's a shot I took at the flea market yesterday - you can buy all sorts of goodies at the alemeda flea market... the rest of the pics to come soon.

happy monday!

sunday in the city

bryce and I are off to rummage around at the alameda flea market and a few salvage stores in Berkeley today - I'll report back on what goodies we find :)

hope you have a wonderful sunny sunday!

she was married on a Tuesday

one of my co-workers took her lunch break on Tuesday and instead of eating lunch at her desk which happens a lot at my office (since we are in the middle of an industrial area and there is not much to see...) she headed off to the court house with her boyfriend and got married. just like that - she came back to the office a married woman, and continued to work the rest of the day.

I think this is totally romantic - they didn't tell anyone (except her boss as she wasn't sure how long she would be gone), paid the $10 extra for the court to provide a witness, and just got married.

what do you think?

photo here

happy friday!

well it's that time of the week again - my favourite day of the week, and this friday is a bit more special than most as today flufflefritz is 1 year old! so Melita and I will be celebrating with a few drinks this weekend.

What will you be getting up to? I hope you have a wonderful weekend! and that you'll say cheers for us where ever in the world you are!

kisses

Kate

photo here

awww

she's a digger that little Miss McKenzie... I took this shot of her this morning after I caught her digging a lovely big hole in the back yard (note the mud crusted onto the top of her nose...) - mischievous mckenzie indeed!

wow I won!

remember that little blog called The Swede Records that I mentioned earlier in the year? and how in love I was with their new header that the very talented Kelli Murray created personally for them??? well last week Jenny May and Kelli joined forces and posted a give-away on their blogs, so I entered straight away! - and guess what??!! I won! woohoo!

this morning when I crusied on over to their blog there was a photo of me (I think it was my mustache that did it...) :) what a wonderful surprise to wake up to this morning! thanks Kelli and JennyMay!

check out more of Kelli's work here at her etsy store, her blog here and you should also check out the awesome wedding invites Kelli did for her own wedding - amazing!

eggs benni - the easy way

grainy toast + canadian bacon + poached eggs + 2 slices of spicy smoked gouda melted in the toaster oven = easy eggs benni

poladroid

I know I have raved about this totally fabulous little bit of free software before, but forgive me, I must gush again... after I took these photos of my roses last night and downloaded them I played with some of them in poladroid and well I just really LOVE this software!

it takes an average photo like this where I was beginning to lose light
and turns it into this (complete with random fingerprints - which is a setting you can choose)

and this, which is pretty enough

but makes it so much more romantic looking
this one with too much flash and a little crooked
into this, it looks like a snapshot from the 60's
and this one that I like just the way it is
makes it into this which is a totally different take on it
have some fun with it yourself and get it here it's free!