hiatus.

After a short-lived hiatus, we'll return full-fledged just in time for the giant cloud of smoke to rise over our old stomping grounds in Boulder, CO on 4/20. Until then, enjoy a glimpse of life lately.

Life has been busy. We hosted Easter brunch, my sister-in-law had a birthday, my gf got a darling new puppy, Matilda, baby brother (not-so-baby) broke his leg in the downpour we had in Chicago on Saturday night, our TV is on death row, we celebrated the engagement of two of my favorites, the pug remains ever-so-devoted to her grandpa, and although it's hardly new, I'm still loving my monogrammed iphone case, from B.

sick day.

Please excuse us while we drown ourselves in DayQuil - catch ya tomorrow!

snoozin' and treats.

Maybe I'm a little behind the times and everyone else is already familiar with Marcel the Shell, but if not, I'm glad that I could bring this ray of sunshine into your life, as he just entered mine not more than 48 hours ago. Anyhoo, remember the girl who dropped the F-bomb on SNL a few years back? Turns out she and her fiancee are geniuses. The following three clips will show you everything that you need to know.

It's just another Tuesday in your cubicle, but at least your sister didn't float away on a balloon.

lucky pug.

My crazy pug turns a whopping 7 years old this week, and I can’t wait to celebrate with baby girl.

I generally steer clear of all things "pug obsessed" because I think they are strange and "those people" need to get a life. As it turns out, I  may be one of those people, and a puppy party seems like my kind of fête. 

A few inspirations..

In lieu of ordering a (edible) dog cake, I found this recipe for "pupcakes" I plan to try.

Pug-pops for my lady friends, learned here.

Party hats may be necessary.

The defining party moment:

(Chloe, age: 16 weeks)

gibberish.

It's Thursday, and I just got back from LA, which is a story for another day, but being at the airport reminded me of this awesome video I found on Gawker forever ago, "How English Sounds to Non-English Speakers". It's interesting to see things from the other side.
It's hard to imagine, but once upon a time a baby Kaya arrived in Chicago without knowing a word of English. Over time, I've realized that's where my soft spot for foreigners, immigration rights, and giving directions to lost tourists comes from. It's the only area of my life in which I can say I am truly patient.

Now if I could just make something of the 7+ years of french I took, I'd really be in business. xx

a b. with an itch (for monogrammed merchandise)

I love my initials, and it's not a secret. However, it might be a sickness. Some of my reasoning is that if I brand my purse with my initials then no one will try to steal it (although check out how weathered that puppy is after two years), and the rest of it might stem from some currently undiagnosed egocentric disorder. I won't even show you my license plate. But to be fair, either the single or double "B" has been my nickname for as long as I can remember, and sometimes it's taken one step further with the full B.O.B. True story, I've got the birth certificate to prove it.

As if this sign-off is even necessary..

fancy pants.

Not sure if you've noticed, but the cools kids are really on to something here.

Kelly Framel.

Is it strange that I know that this is Jenna Lyons?

Taylor Tomasi Hill.

Other fashionable people.

I'll admit it. I'm kind of over dresses. (I said kind of!) There's really something to be said for good looking comfort and not having to worry about how your legs are crossed or if a dangerous breeze is en route. What's the alternative, you ask? Ladies and gents, I bring you the fanciest of all fancy pants. And you thought colored denim was brave. Next time, I dare you to try a flower print as big as your face.

Tibi :: camilla and marc :: Tucker :: Alice + Olivia

And as long as I can procure an appropriate top to go with these, I have found my first pair of dress-replacing winners.

:: available aquí ::

design yourself, hey hey.

It's Monday. You're tired, and barely capable of actual work. Try this instead.

Unless you've had a self-portrait commissioned, which would actually be rather strange, you haven't had the overwhelming joy of seeing your likeness in an illustration. When I first happened on the DesignHerGals website a few years ago, I may or may not have been on the computer for an hour. Or two. It's addictive, especially when you branch out into "designing" everyone you know, because who wouldn't want to receive a supermodel cartoon version of themselves stamped on a mug? (That's a rhetorical question, because the answer is no one!)

bestie/partner-in-crime :: engaged cousin/fellow blogger + her fiancee :: old friend/new mama

:: a moving announcement that I nicely pushed onto my friend ::

:: c'est moi! and penny ::

Some of the gifts that I've given include a coin bank for a wedding "fund," luggage tags to celebrate a new address, a memo notepad, and mugs for my parents' house that feature each one of the family members, all complete with the little accessories that personalize it even more. You can add freckles, for pete's sake! The possibilities are endless, and it will overtake your lunch hour.. and beyond.

take a peep.

 

It’s that time again, yes Easter, but more importantly PEEP TIME.

My family’s Easter tradition involves nothing more than over-eating, possible egg-designs, and maybe reminiscing.

 

So, when April rolls around every year, I look most forward to those perfect marshmellowy confections.

 I know they're available at gas stations and truck stops, and not nearly as couture as the cupcake, but they are the perfect combination of sugar and nostalgia.

 

With the advent of Pinterest this year, I have found a whole new reason to stock up on peeps this year.

Whether it’s just a rice krispy treat with a pink bunny, peep s’mores (would that be a s’peeps? pee’mores? eek.), a goofy cupcake topper, or to dip pink bunnies in chocolate!

If you’re really trying to be sophisticated, they can also adorn a lemonade or martini glass.

So, take a peep, and happy Friday. xx

corporate color-blocking.

via

My office gal-pal Kelly introduced an interesting idea last week: corporate color-blocking. 

Mixing bold colors... with clients. The idea of walking into a a room full of suits wearing a bright is daring enough, but it's an entirely new challenge to pull-off a head-to-toe color-block look. 

There are a few options to make it happen without expanding your HR file (further).

Keep your cut and fit conservative. 

Add neutrals into the mix.

Limit accessories.

If the first lady pulled it off on Letterman, you can pull it off at work.

wishlist wednesday: made in the shade.

Up until a few days ago, Ray Bans were my facewear staple, with a few pricier guys thrown into the mix. But whilst perusing Shopbop, as I do quite often, I happened upon a collection of $30 shades that looked like they may be worth a shot. Naturally, I ordered a few - the Cryokinesis and Books, and at this point am contemplating going crazy and getting another pair. I kid you not, they're spectac[le]ular! (Get it?!)

stock up here

But now let's travel to the polar opposite end of this realm and talk about Miu Miu's pricey plot to bankrupt me.

Where might I find these in silver? They are an enigma, and far too cool to not own, especially if I pretend they're a gift to myself for some accomplishment that I'll determine at a later time. My face is just as good of a place as any to display a sparkly piece of art. Holy wow.

via

stressing.

Sometime last week I noticed that instead of feeling like this balanced warrior:

via

I was feeling more like these gals:

via

So this weekend, I tried this:

via

And I learned:

via

On a serious note, acupuncture feels great. Sure, there is a brief sting with each needle, but the deep relaxation that follows is heaven for a girl who gets blurry-vision-headaches.
Entirely worth a little prick.

bonjour, little cookie.

We have found that it's always helpful to know a few basic words or phrases in a handful of different languages. Aside from hello, goodbye, yes, no, thank you, where is the bathroom, how much does this cost, and do you have a girlfriend, we'd like to add one more to the French list: macaron. It remains to be seen if these little cookies will catch on in the same way that cupcakes and frozen yogurt have, but given the trend's migration from Paris to New York, it seems as though a mini merengue sandwich storm may be headed our way.
So before the midwestern masses begin forming lines á la Sprinkles and Pinkberry..

..we highly recommend that you get your tush on over to Pierrot Gourmet. In addition to having fab food for a normal meal, this extension of the Peninsula Hotel is also quite dependable when it comes to macarons. On this past misty Saturday, we took advantage of the fact that PG is located in our 'hood and grabbed one of each flavor -- lemon, pistachio, dulce de leche, strawberry, coconut, chocolate mint, nutella, and chocolate. Since we couldn't be seated immediately, we took our 11am snack to Starbucks for a caffeine accompaniment, and while awkwardly sitting at the large communal table with a few other patrons who shot us judgy looks, we played food critics. We can't say one bad thing about the technique or texture, but a few of the cookies went a little too far into what we could only describe as "American." The dulce de leche and chocolate mint were like glorified candy bars with unnecessary ingredients stuffed in. A macaron is supposed to be light and airy, and that was muddled by the blob (technical term) of caramel in one and the taste of toothpaste in another. All of that aside, the lemon and pistachio were by far the best and most authentic, and we will most certainly be back for more.

We took K's canines for a stroll afterwards, and here's Chloe, strutting her tiny little waistline,
easily maintained due to the fact that we did not include her in the taste-testing.