What a Steal!

I am all about a good deal. Especially if it is something fabulous. So, when I came upon this yesterday, my heart skipped a beat! I tried this little number on at Monkees this past weekend but was bummed when they did not have my size.  I thought it was the most versatile, lightweight jacket I had found in awhile, and I downright NEEDED it.

I did a little research online and found it at Neiman Marcus Last Call. A dear friend of mine told me about this awesome site and I about stroked out when I saw it on their site in a small! It was marked down from $144 to $99 then an additional %40 percent off of that. AND I had a free shipping code which brought my grand total to $64.05. Double score.

 G.E.T. Anorak Jacket

If any of you are looking for something like this, I highly recommend it.  It is absolutely adorable with the stand up collar and a chic ponytail! Cannot wait to receive it!

I will be sure to post other good finds I come across on here as well. Feel free to share any great deals you find with me as well! Love a good deal!

xoxo,

Katie

Little Feet & Tasty Treats!

This Christmas season, I adopted a 3 year old little girl named Jazmin.  Yesterday, I took a trip to Target (any excuse is a good excuse to go right?!) to pick up a few Christmas essentials for little Jazmin.  It absolutely breaks my heart that some children wake up on Christmas morning with absolutely nothing from Santa.  I was so blessed as a child growing up that Santa always came to our house.

Yesterday during my trip, I picked up a little more than I was supposed to. That always happens. But I wanted to make sure babygirl stays warm during the winter months. My shopping trip included a fleece pink polka dot zip up, leggings, turtlenecks, pink Disney princess socks, the MOST adorable silver glitter ballet flats (I wish they came in my size), princess bracelets and a babydoll that cries and laughs (both off of her wishlist) and some adorable animal print PJ's.  I had so much fun shopping for her!

Here are a couple of her items.

I so wish I was able to see her little face come Christmas morning and she realizes Santa did come! Tis the Season Ya'll.


Today is yet another rainy, cold, miserable day outside.  Days like today, on top of being the Christmas season make me want to do nothing but hole up inside and bake. All. Day. Long.

These little treats have my mouth watering and are first up on the Holiday bake list.

Orange and Vanilla Upside Down Cake 

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

And when in doubt I am feeling lazy, this is ALWAYS a hit.

 

Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark 

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo,

Katie

Rainy Monday

Monday. I am not a fan. At. All. Especially after enjoying a very long relaxing holiday weekend.  I try and stay as chipper as I can on Monday's.  Keeping myself as occupied as possible.  However, today is a gray and rainy Monday. Maybe that is why this Monday seems like such a drag. Or maybe, it is because I literally cannot wait for Friday.


Austin and I will be heading back to the coast on Friday to FINALLY lock in our wedding ceremony/venue site (God willing I don't have a change of heart. AGAIN) I am so anxious to get this step squared away that I promise I will feel like a new woman once this feat is over with.  On the tour list is Airlie Gardens, 128 South and Kenan Chapel in Landfall.  Decisions. Decisions.

 

There is one shining little beacon of light on this rainy Monday. It is Cyber Monday. Ooh.  I did partake in a little retail therapy, which did soften the Monday blow.

Aren't those earrings sweet? What is even sweeter is that each piece I got was on sale and then J. Crew is offering an additional 25% off the sale price AND free shipping. Hello. Total no-brainer. Perfect holiday party earrings and a cozy turtleneck for a dreary day such as this.

Happy Monday!

xoxo,

Katie

Weekend

This long weekend was so refreshing for so many reasons. Austin and I got to spend great quality time with our families, got to attend the 2nd biggest comeback in ACC history at the NC State/Maryland game, met up with out of town friends that we had not seen in quite some time and got in the festive season with a little decorating. Note: This post is picture packed.

Thanksgiving was great. I am thankful that I wore the stretchiest pants I own, and for good reason. That sweet potato casserole was slapyourmother kind of good. I may or may not have had 2, maybe 3 helpings.

Isn't she adorable? Little Kate was excited for some Turkey!

 

How fun is this Lilly "birthday crown"?! Having a birthday right around the Thanksgiving holiday, we always celebrate my birthday with family during Thanksgiving dinner.

 

Turkey tuckered this little girl out!

Friday evening when we returned to Raleigh, we met up with some close friends for cocktails.  We started at our place for a couple glasses of wine then headed over to the Oxford and finished up the night at The Hive.  It was great to see them.

 Now that the Christmas season is upon us, and being the crazy Christmas fanatic Christmas fan that I am, I absolutely love nothing more than spending an entire night decorating.  Of course each year we get a tree, I think back to "National Lampoon Christmas Vacation" and hope that when we get home a little squirrel friend isn't jumping out at us. The joys of a real Christmas tree.

Here are a few new additions to our tree this year...I absolutely love ornaments, any and all kinds. I have never been a "matchy matchy" tree person.  I love ornaments that are all different and each tell a story. My parent's tree has ornaments back from the 1960's! Too cool.

I wanted a personal ornament to commemorate our first Christmas being engaged.  Thanks to Etsy I was able to get something customized perfectly to our style.  Rachel was wonderful to work with and even added a burlap bow!

                         The ornament below is one my mom recently handed down to me.  It is a 1988 (my birth year) Gorham Silver Star.  My plan is to collect a star from each year of importance to us as a couple. 1985 for Austin's birth year, 2011 for our engagement year, 2013 for our wedding year and a star for the year our future babes are born! I love traditions, and think it would be a fun one to begin.

  

This is one we received from Austin's mother as a gift.  Isn't it sweet? Vietri + Christmas Ornament = Happy Katie

 

This little treasure I fell in love with as soon as I saw it at Restoration Hardware and thought it would make a fabulous tree topper.  A little picture wire and I had completed my project.

Austin decided to snap pictures of me battling our tree with the lights. Always the part I dread.  Thanks for the flattering angles babe.

 I hope everyone had a wonderful long Thanksgiving weekend. It's a lazy Sunday here!

xoxo,

Katie 

Thankful!

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving! What a gorgeous day here at the coast.  I am in Wilmington, NC visiting family this Thanksgiving and it is so wonderful to be home with the ones that I love.

Upon arriving last night, my mom decided to start a new tradition each Thanksgiving.  From this year forward we decided that each "Thanksgiving Eve" we would cook a "baja" mexican feast.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I could eat either mexican or chinese for breakfast, lunch and dinner day in and day out.  SO, this year we decided to start off right with Fresh Beer Battered Fish Tacos and my favvvooorite chips and salsa from Tower 7.

Happiness Is....

 

Work in process...

 Dinner is served!

It turned out wonderfully.  We ate it all faster than you can say "arriba!" Ice cold Corona's never disappoint either. All in all it was a wonderful Thanksgiving Eve!

 My sweet little kitchen helper.  Isn't she the cutest?! :o)

Today, I planned on making an entire post on the top 25 things I am most thankful for. So  I guess prepare for a novel of a blog post. Oops. 

1. My family.  Obviously, without them I wouldn't be walking this earth.  They are also some of the sweetest, most down to earth people I know.  I know I may be pretty biased, but they really are a special group of people.  Holidays can sometimes get a little crazy and someone may or may not end up busting their ass on the kitchen floor due to a tad too much Chardonnay but always a fun group to be around.  Love you all so much.

2. My amazing friends. You guys absolutely rock.  You are the most fun group of girls to be around, yet can be the best serious advice givers ever.  I am seriously blessed. Love you.

3. My never-ceases-to-amaze-me fiance Austin.  Okay, no this will not be a sappy entry.  But man, I love that guy.  He is my very best friend and always knows how to make me feel like I am on top of the world.  Obviously, no relationship is perfect, by any means.  What fun would that be? We argue as much as the next couple, but at the end of the day still love each other more than just the words "I love you" could ever depict. You are my rock Austin and I am so thankful I get to become your wife.

4. Our fur child, Bailey.  She is our two and a half year old golden retriever and will always be a puppy in my eyes. She is the sweetest dog on this earth and is a serious mind reader and always knows how to turn a bad day around.

5. My Health.  It is often something healthy people take for granted. A few family friends of ours lost their battle to cancer in 2011, and I thank God everyday for my health.

6. My iPhone. Yes, I am seriously addicted.

7. My iPad. It is a very close second to the beloved iPhone

8. Peonies.  They are my all time favorite flower.  I love them in any color. 

9. Manicures. I am seriously addicted.

10.My Keurig. I still think K Cup stands for Krack-Cup. Can't get enough.

11.A good book. Nothing beats cozy-ing up with a book you cannot put down.

12. My Restoration Hardware Cashmere Throw.  Austin made me feel like I was the craziest person ever to spend that on " a silly blanket". He is now humming to a different tune on cold nights when I can't get him to share it with me.

13. The beach.  Growing up next to it, I feel like I took it for granted.  Now, living away from it and coming home, I cannot be more thankful to call the coast home.

14. Cabernet. This girl loves a good bottle of wine.

15. Nights with my girlfriends. Sometimes, or all the time, good laughs with good friends are perfect for the soul.

16. Good music. I love pretty much any type of music, and love how music can bring you right back to a certain snippet in time, just like it was yesterday, if it were even 10 years ago.

17. My baby blanket.  Yes, I still have my "bubby" and that sucker you better believe is being packed and taken on the honeymoon.

18. Candles.  My girlfriends know how crazy obsessed I am with them.  And most times rather than not have a "stock pile" of at least a half dozen or so just waiting to be burned. I know, I have a problem.

19. Our little tiny 900 sq foot apartment.  It may not be much, but having a warm place to come every night is something people often take for granted.  I am thankful to have a safe place to call home.

20. New recipes.  I love any excuse to get in the kitchen, put on my apron, pour a glass of wine and unwind.  Cooking really is a free (well not free but close to it) form of therapy.

21. Guacamole. Yes, I could eat it everyday of my life.

22. Monograms.  While I am currently on a monogramming hiatus until I say "I Do" (yes, it really is painful) I still look at new ideas day in and day out.

23. New tennis shoes. For whatever reason, I feel like I work out more frequently and much harder when I have new tennis shoes. Some weird mentality, but hey, whatever works right?

24. Paper products.  I have a weird obsession with stationary and anything related. Crane & Co, Kate Spade and American Stationary have become my best friends. I am always writing notes of some kind.

25.  This blog.  I have really grown to love it.  I love being able to keep track of my crazy everyday life and I think I will love even more being able to look back at it all a year from now and see how I have grown from this very moment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo,

Katie

Wednesday Wants...

Well, with Christmas right around the corner (crazy how it was just 4th of July right?!) I figured why not show you my alphabetized color coded Christmas list a couple things that would be just wonderful to find under my tree! 

Burberry knit cape
$695 - saksfifthavenue.com

Well, first and foremost lets start with the basics here.  Every wo

Every woman at some point in their life should own their own Chanel. Plain and simple. Maybe this Christmas will be my first, OR maybe we will pay rent for the month of December. Tough choice. When the day comes that I am the lucky recipient of this treasure, the neighbors will either A) think we won the mega lottery jack pot by my screams or B) Think I am totally overjoyed that Austin finally decided it was okay to wear his navy corduroy's  and cashmere vest together (no, dear, you do NOT look like a Jonas Brother). Wishful thinking. I also am crack-like obsessed with capes this Fall for whatever reason.  Maybe it is the comfort, or the warmth or just the cuteness of every single one I lay my eyes on! The awkward part is, however, arm lifting.  Talk about weird, but that is a whole different conversation.  The watch, well its a perfect every day staple.  I wear my tortoise shell Michael Kors day in and day out, and maybe it deserves a little rest.  Do you hear that Santa?!  The Tom Ford shades speak for themselves, they are the most chic sunglasses ever.  And since we will not speak of my poor beautiful Tory Burch shades (may you rest in peace) at the bottom of Lake Gaston, we will say that I would love these as a substitute.  Last, but CERTAINLY not least, are those jaw dropping saucy over the knee suede Stuart Weitzman bad boys.  I currently do not own a pair of over the knee boots, but could certainly get started with this pair.  Aren't they gorgeous?

Okay, enough of that talk.  Lets get down to business. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, meaning Black Friday is the day after. Dun Dun Dun.  Do y'all partake in the crazy "I am risking my life for a $10 blender" deals?! My dear sweet friend Hannah (you can view her adorable blog there) jokes with me in saying that I AM 'The Christmas Champ"  You know, the crazed Target lady who warms up for Black Friday doing crunches and this that and the other.  I admit I sure do love Black Friday, however this year, I really have nothing in particular I am shopping for. I think the most fun of it all is the tradition my mom and I have.

Each Black Friday, we wake up around roughly 3 am, stroll on over to ANY coffee shop that is crazed enough in their minds to be open at that hour and get our kick start. Next, we usually head to Target and get a huge kick out of the crowds. I mean, these people actually SLEEP outside.  Now that's gettin' crazy.  Once we make it inside, we elbow our way ( just kidding) through the masses to see what the deals are.  Sometimes we come out empty handed, I mean how many DVD's or small kitchen appliances does one person need? We usually wrap up our trip around 9 am and are flat out exhausted and nap until around noon.  I'd love to hear some other Black Friday stories.  Do you love it or hate it?

As you can tell from this novel of a post, the office is a graveyard today.  I am literally one of about 10 (usually 70) employees here today. Shoot me in the face.

Happy Early Thanksgiving!!

xoxo,

Katie

It's a.....

....It's a BOY! How Fun! If you read my post yesterday, I told you that a close friend of mine was able to find out the gender of her little bambino yesterday.  I was so anxiously awaiting for the phone call yesterday I could hardly focus on my desk work! I was so excited when she told me that I was the very first person she had told. What an honor.

I know her parents and sister were beyond the moon excited to bite into their reveal cupcakes to see blue icing!! What fun. The most fun about it being a boy is that it will be a whole new experience for the entire family! Jordan has one sister and all her family has ever known was little girls, this will be a sure fire roller coaster ride having a little boy running around! So so so excited for them.

Now, some of you may say, "well dressing a little boy is not as fun as dressing a little girl" After seeing these pictures I practically died over, maybe you'll change your mind.  Boys can be even cuter! 

What a dapper young gentleman this is...my heart melts!

How darling is this sweater/oxford combo?!

Oh my heavens! A baby sized Barbour Jacket.

How sweet is this for bringing home baby? Starting off right in cashmere ;-)

If this isn't the cutest thing! Look. at. those. cheeks!

This little diva could quite possibly be baby Proctor's future girlfriend! What a doll.

Well, I guess it is back to work until tomorrow, finally some time off for Turkey, Football and all things Thanksgiving.

xoxo,

Katie

Baby Love

Today is a very special day! My sweet friend Jordan and her hubby Rocky get to find out what their little bundle of joy is going to be.  We have all made "boy or girl wagers", so it will be so exciting when we all find out! It felt like Christmas Eve last night waiting for today to come! I mentioned to her the idea of a "reveal cake" and I am so excited it is what she is going to do! A reveal cake for those who do not know, is a cake baked and the inside is dyed either pink or blue with food coloring.  Everyone gathers around to cut the cake and to find out what the baby is! I am so excited to see pictures of how this turns out. 

Here is an example of a reveal cake, as you can see this one is a boy! So fun...

Jordan is the first of my close friends to lead off the "baby train" and I could not be more excited to spoil this little angel come April!   All of this baby talk has really sparked my interest in nursery's.  Here are a few I think are just fabulous.

 How serene is this?

I died seeing this sideboard/changing table transformation.  It is so awesome I can't hardly stand it.

 I love nursery's for little boys that aren't "little boy-ish" if you will.  I love how this nursery has pieces that he can grow with post-infancy.  Like that chair! Gosh, I'd like that for myself :)

 I don't really think this little girl's nursery needs much explanation. It is fabulous all on its own.

I ADORE this nursery for so many reasons.  Again, it is masculine and something a little man can grow into.  And talk about a crib backdrop! And the sconces and the paper mache animals? Love it all.

I will keep all of you posted when we find out the big news!! Such an exciting time for all!

xoxo,

Katie

Birthday Weekend Fun!

Hi Loves,

Well, it came and went and its funny how people ask on your birthday, "do you feel older?!" This year, I answered that question with yes.  From my previous post, I feel as though this past year was a huge year of growth for me, so without a doubt, yes I feel older.  I am so thankful for all of the opportunities God has given me this past year.  Good or bad moments, I have grown from every one and am thankful for it.

My amazing fiance made this birthday weekend everything that I could have hoped it could be.  He is a remarkable man.

First, he surprised me with a special cake from my favorite bakery, The Square Rabbit.

It was beyond divine.

...This little treasure my friends, is the best cheesecake I have ever had.  Complete with whipped cream, caramel and chocolate drizzle.  I suggest everyone get their own from Fresh Market, now.

Saturday, we attended the NC State/Clemson football game with some great friends and family.  It was truly a great time, especially seeing the Wolfpack upset the Tigers! My Pirates won too :) All around a great day for college football!

 Saturday night following the football game, we walked to my favorite sushi spot Sono and enjoyed some delicious sushi.  After dinner was filled with cocktails and a brisk rickshaw ride home!

We rounded out my birthday weekend with brunch and a surprise visit from my sweet mom! It was great to have her in town for the day.  She is a sweetheart.

Thanks to sweet Austin, my addiction to taking pictures now will grow even more since he surprised me with an amazing new camera for my birthday! He also surprised me with awesome seats to see The Christmas Carol December 10th.  I am so excited I can't hardly stand it!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! I am off to veg out on the couch for the remainder of my day :)

xoxo,

Katie