Friday's Letters

Dear froyo, you were great and all but would have been better if it had been a sunny day. Don't worry, it's not your fault and we will reunite again when Seattle decides to chill out a little on the rain. Dear husband, You're scruffy. And just so you know, I'm okay with it. Dear redbox, I was so close to returning Like Crazy to you on time. But alas, another $1 fee. I'm still mad. Over a stupid dollar. I hold grudges. Dear education, why did you cost me SO MUCH money? I love ya sociology, but I probably should have majored in engineering or something so I could get this paid off a little faster... Dear Trader Joe's Pumpkin Waffles, this morning might very well have been the last morning we will spend together until you return to stores next fall and I am super bummed about it. Dear throat, stop. hurting. now. I cannot afford to get sick at this time. I'm serious. Dear sewing machine, I see you over there looking at me longingly. I know I have not been becoming best friends with you like I had promised. How about a sewing date next week? Dear weekend, I am beyond thankful that you are here! Now I know it's not something you normally do, but just this once can you stay forever?

H    A    P    P    Y    W    E    E    K    E    N    D

Luke and Jack

My little brother Luke is going to be twelve in a couple of months, which pretty much blows my mind. I will probably always picture him as a three-year-old running around with mask-simulating diapers on his head.

Over the weekend when I visited the fam, Luke and I got to spend some rare quality time out together with Jack. Luke rode his bike around and then we took a leisurely walk. Jack was too chicken to go anywhere near the water so I had to awkwardly attempt to carry/drag him to the pathway.

It was a lovely afternoon spending time with both of the boys. Here are some photos from that day!

Free Printable To-Do List

You voted for the next printable and the clear winner was a to-do list! You asked and you shall receive! I think I will create several more styles of these in the upcoming weeks, because unfortunately you can never run out of a need for to-do lists, am I right? 

You should be able to click here and be redirected to Google Docs, then click the file menu and "download original". Then print and cut in half as many as you need! Let me know if you have any issues by emailing me at kyleenoelleblog[at]gmail[dot]com.

(coloring may appear different on the doc, but it should be as seen in the image above!)

>>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TO DO LIST<< 

Insta Weekend

This weekend was simply lovely. I took a ferry over to my parents house and spent the weekend with the whole fam. We lived it up with waffles, popsicles and Sonic burgers. We did some house projects, spent time outdoors, and went to ikea. It was my first Sonic experience and considering I'm not a fast food fan I should have figured it wouldn't be all that great. But, you know, it's the experience that counts!

Here are some instagrams from the weekend. Oh, and check out Jack's awesome tongue trick in the last picture. He is such a goof.

Are you an instagrammer? You can follow me here!

Friday's Letters

Dear Jack, I am loving your haircut. It's so chic. So stunning. Definitely brings out the poodle in you. Dear Creatures Invading My Bed, I love waking up to three beautiful bites across my face. Keep doing that. I dare you.  Dear Draw Something, Can we please have a replay feature for those unfortunate times where I am distracted and don't get to see the beautifully intricate drawings that others have made for me? Please and thank you in advance. Also thanks for letting me draw J. Biebs. It was the highlight of my day. Dear Grapefruit, I love you with all my heart and soul (shh...don't tell Lance!). Dear Hunger Games, I am so excited for you! That is all. Dear Husband, thanks for being such a peach and coming on all my errands with me today. You're the bestest. Dear Readers, You guys are amazing! Seriously. You always make my day. Also, 400 followers on GFC? Um, crazy! I should have had my act together and something special going down for 400. How about for 500? :)

H    A    P    P    Y    W    E    E    K    E    N    D

Scattered Thoughts/Updates on This Hump Day

Happy Hump Day!

Don't forget to vote for the next free printable at the bottom of this post! xo
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1. Sometimes I like to think of myself as superwoman. You know, the one who cooks healthy meals every night. The one who spends two hours cooking and one hour cleaning up said cooking. The one with dinner on the table promptly at 6 o'clock. And sometimes I am this woman.

And other times I say screw it, we're going to Chipotle. Even if it is the third night in a row we've gone out. And even if we have a fridge full of food. And this is why I haven't had to do dishes in three days. What a novel concept. We should eat out every night. Don't even be surprised if all my posts from here on out are pictures of us at various restaurants. You will look at them and you will like them.

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2. I am on hellocotton and you can/should follow me here! 

 I was so excited when I woke up last week to being the featured lifestyle blogger of the day! Thanks again, hellocotton :). If you're a blogger and you haven't joined yet, you totally should! It's pretty awesome.

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3. My name is Kylee and I'm a Draw Something addict.

Oh, what's that? You are too?! You should probably play with me then. Username: Kyleenoelle
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4. It's been awhile since I've posted any new printables and I want to hear from you on what you would like to see next! 

Vote here:

Which printable do you want next?
	Meal Planning Worksheet
	Shopping List
	Art Printables
	To Do List
	Notecards
	Other (Specify in the Comments!)
Web Polls

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To Visit in Seattle: Thai Tom {Date Night}

Last night we went out to our favorite Thai food restaurant, Thai Tom. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, as we go here far more often than we probably should. If you're a Thai food fan and live in or plan on visiting Seattle then I highly recommend going here.

 Now I realize I am not from Thailand and therefore no expert in the authenticity of the food, but I have been to a vast amount of Thai restaurants and this one by far takes the cake. Most Thai food we've had is a sugary, wet mess. This, on the other hand, is complex, spicy and made right in front of you.  Oh, and did I mention it's inexpensive? Most plates are $7.49 (cash only!) and we usually end up having to take some home. That's a killer deal.

It's definitely not the place you go if you're only into high class, fancy-schmancy dining (we're not). I probably would never have ventured in here in the first place if it hadn't been recommended to me, but the unique atmosphere definitely adds to the experience. It's a small, dark hole in the wall and usually has a line out the door.

I always get the chicken Pad Thai. I can't even bring myself to get anything else because it's so perfectly wonderful. The chicken is charred to perfection. Lance, however, has ventured out to new territory a couple of times and highly recommends the Poor Man's Noodles. Last night we also tried the Thai Iced Tea. AMAZING!

*Warning*: Their star rating system for spiciness is very serious business. The first time we came here Lance got four stars and I got three. We both almost died. And we like spicy food! Now, I get one and he gets two and it's still spicy. But literally, anything above three and you might explode. 

For those who sit at the bar you get to literally watch your food get prepared and it is quite a show. It's hot and there are often large fireballs bursting from the stove, which is a little frightening, especially if your sitting in the seat literally right next to the burner. Lance grabbed a video of the cooking in action:

Okay, now I'm hungry! Dinner time!

photos from the weekend

I hope you all had as lovely of a weekend as we did! Throughout the past few days we saw rain, snow and bright sunny skies! But all-in-all it appears that spring shall be gracing us soon. Here are some snapshots of from weekend

We had a nice little lunch date:

Evidence of spring was all around:

 

We celebrated the 17th birthday of the family dog, Winston. He may be old, but he's young at heart. He still likes to party.

And lastly, we went to church and then dinner with friends. We documented the most important part: the elevator ride.

{Spring Dreams Round Two}

1. ModCloth // 2. Nordstrom // 3. Nordstrom // 4. J.Crew // 5. Seychelles // 6. Madewell // 7. UO // 8. Anthropologie

In order to soothe my longing for spring after yesterday's dreary day, I created another fashion board full of more of my spring dreams! My favorite is that bird dress, amazing right?! I have those Seychelles wedges in blue and I love them, but the nude color would so versatile. 

Now to come up with the money so I can actually have a spring wardrobe...

Rainy Days

The desire of my heart this morning was to go out with hubby and wear my new dress. But, upon exiting The Cave, I was greeted with blazing winds and buckets upon buckets of rain pouring from the Seattle sky. And so the desires of comfort and practicality outweighed the desires of my heart and on went the rain slicker and warm boots. Much better than trudging through rain puddles in wedges and a long dress!

I'll just remember that soon spring will come. Except for that spring usually doesn't actually arrive here until, like, maybe June. Although, once the weather hits 60 degrees, you can usually bet that all the girls will break out the shorts and tank tops or be out on their front lawns sunbathing in bikinis. Oh, Seattle. :)

The Life and Times of a Grandma

Lately my life consists of more grandma-like behavior than I ever imagined for my 24-year-old self. I spend my free time knitting. The day's main event often consists of watching Jeopardy and then immediately climbing into bed. That's 8 o'clock for you non-Jeopardy enthusiasts! Eight. Oh. Clock. The shame of it all!

But, the truth is, being a grandma isn't all that bad. I kind of like it. I knit exciting things like cozy scarves. I get to tell youngsters about life when I was their age and didn't have an iphone, internet was dial up, gas was under $2.00/gallon, and I could get a candy bar for 25 cents. I actually quite enjoy the looks of disbelief on the poor little whipper snapper's faces. And going to bed early means I wake up refreshed. So, yeah, maybe I am a grandma. And maybe I like it.

Signed, A Content Grandma

a great day & insta life

I'm feeling on top of the world today all thanks to a pretty amazing husband. I woke up this morning to a much cleaner home than it was when I went to bed. This is a big deal. I'm usually the housekeeper around these parts and so it completely shocked me that after I went to bed hubby had gotten up and completely cleaned up the place! So. Not. Typical. Not that I'm bitter, because I don't mind doing the housework at all. It's just nice to know he was thinking of me and wanted to help lighten my load. It's funny how something so simple can make me feel so elated. So, husbands take note! Oh, wait, probably no husbands are reading this (Dad? Grandpa? Are you out there?!). But if you are, now you know: little things matter.

Anywho, here are some glimpses of life lately as captured by my Instagram (@kynoelle): 

Kylee's Mouth-Wateringly Delectable, Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich of Your Dreams {a recipe}

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned my undying love of breakfast before. I could absolutely eat breakfast for every meal. And so today I bring to you my favorite breakfast sandwich to make at home. It's kind of silly to call it a recipe, because it's mostly just a (likely unoriginal) combination of ingredients on bread. But you know, I can call it what I want, so I hereby dub this heavenly delight as the recipe for: Kylee's Mouth-Wateringly Delectable, Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich of Your Dreams.

In short my incredible breakfast sandwich combo is:

• 2 pieces of any toasted bread (any sourdough or Dave's Killer Bread is fab!) 
• Goat cheese and pesto spread on one piece

In between said bread:

• the perfect fried egg (or 2 if you're keen on packing in the protein)
• some sliced avocado
• bacon (or not for vegetarian option)
• cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• lightly sauteed kale, thrown in the egg pan for a few seconds after making your egg (spinach works but kale is the best!)

You can use as little or as many of the fillings as you please, but all of them together is what fulfills my ultimate breakfast sandwich fantasy.

Okay, I'm DYING, just writing this is making salivate. I warned you, I'm a breakfast freak.

And since I know that, like me, not everyone is kitchen savvy,  here are detailed instructions on how I make my perfect fried egg and assemble the sandwich. Yes, before I got married I was pretty clueless about apparently basic things like frying eggs. I've come a long way and so here's my unprofessional-but-hey-it-works way (feel free to substitute for your own tried and true methods):

1. Begin to make bacon. Fry in hot pan, flip round and round until in looks like bacon and then transfer bacon to paper towels to cool/drain.  
2. While cooking bacon, heat the smallest (preferably cast iron) pan you have on medium heat with a little butter.
3. Crack an egg into heated pan.
4. While egg is cooking toast 2 slices of bread.
5. When the white of the egg is cooked (edges start to curl), flip the egg over just a few seconds and then quickly transfer to one of the pieces of toast. This method produces a runny yoke. Cook longer after flipping for a more firm center.
6. Now add a handful of washed kale to the still hot pan you cooked the egg in with a drop of oil until kale starts to wilt.
7. While kale is cooking, spread goat cheese and pesto onto other piece of toast.
8.  Add cooked bacon, avocado, and cherry tomatoes.
9. Smash both sides together and eat devour.
10. Yes, it's messy, but worth it.

Friday's Letters

Dear ultra intense false eyelashes, I may have been overly zealous when I set down the au naturale style and picked you up instead. You were quite ultra and quite intense, who knew? Next time I think I'll stick with my first choice. Dear bright, floral maxi dress, thank you for joining my closet. I am happy to have you and am now patiently awaiting spring to join us in Seattle! Dear flowy white skirt, I am so sorry I left you at the store! Please be waiting for me I return for you today! Dear split ends, LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE! Please and thank you. Dear Girl Scouts, Thank you for providing us with your tagalongs. Our week would not have been as fattening delicious without you. Dear blog, I'm sorry I have been such a busy bird and neglected you this week. I'll try and do better next week. Dear husband, I would like to once again remind you of the crushing you received when we played along with Jeopardy last night. I'm not sorry and I am clearly the smartest. If you don't count last Monday, that is.

H    A    P    P    Y    W    E    E    K    E    N    D

Dreaming of Spring Fashion

1. Free People // 2. UO // 3. ModCloth // 4. Nordstrom // 5. Nordstrom // 6. Free People  // 7. Nordstrom  // 8. Ruche

Today I did some virtual window shopping, and I must say, it's gotten me all excited for spring! In all honesty, I'm usually more of a fall fashion kind of girl, but something about this season's trends are speaking to me! I'm loving flowing maxi skirts, colored denim, brassy jewelry, and pretty scalloped details. Oh, and mint. I really, truly love mint.

What spring fashions are you lusting over?

over the weekend

 Hap-hap-happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. There was a battle between rain and sun here, but we did manage to sneak out for a little walk during a sunny moment. I adore that it is staying light a little bit longer these days. Other than the walk and going to church, we didn't get out together much this weekend. Now on to the busy week ahead!

And, of course, we snapped a couple quick photos on our stroll:

Friday's Letters

Dear dishes, would you mind washing yourself today? Dear huge piles of laundry, I'd wholeheartedly appreciate if you laundered yourself. Dear bed, make yourself. Dear self, I'm sensing some hostility towards housework. You best check yourself and get on it. Dear chocolate bar, stop staring at me. I'm not going to eat you, so just stop begging, okay?  Dear readers, thank you for all your sweet comments that always make me smile. Except for you anonymous. I don't like your spammy comments one bit. Dear word verifications, I hate you and your contorted letters that are impossible to read. Dear Piña Coladas, you are delicious. Thank you for making me feel like I am on a tropical island even though I am far from it. Dear husband, I think I might like you a little bit. Thanks for figuring out how to make fish the other night since I'm meat illiterate. Dear since, why did I have so much trouble figuring out if you were actually a word and how to spell you? Dear weekend, clearly I need you as my brain is rotting.

H    A    P    P    Y    W    E    E    K    E    N    D

February Photo A Day Challenge = Completed

Well, I did it! I completed the February Photo a Day Challenge. It was intense and certainly challenging at times, but all-in-all a fun challenge to look forward to each day. Here are my 29 pictures! Some of these would make more sense if you had been following along on my Twitter or Instagram so that you could see the captions, but mostly they should be self-explanatory!

And...after much deliberation, I have decided to give March Photo a Day a shot. No promises I won't quit... But if you want to follow along then you can follow my Twitter or Instagram (@kynoelle)! Let me know if you're participating too so I can follow you!

And now on to March....