tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238455471152905512024-03-05T04:30:31.287-08:00Bacon & BlissLife, Bacon & the Pursuit of
HappinessKayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-32552094744212231642020-10-13T14:45:00.003-07:002020-10-13T17:30:37.864-07:00Is This Thing On?<p> ::Waves Meekly from the Margin::</p><p>Oh hi! It's been a minute since I came around here. And by "a minute," I mean closer to SIX years. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3R8cSJR0Wv67ddfVBmmzM_8nHzpGasRdlC3sjSgCCMqlORXveH_XguAaVZnLb-8NE9q3NoNsb1pA05RPj76ZKqszV2z8El7Yg22n4xAHz1rizOo9anWI619DYfRuUfh-P_PQOv7B3w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1064" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3R8cSJR0Wv67ddfVBmmzM_8nHzpGasRdlC3sjSgCCMqlORXveH_XguAaVZnLb-8NE9q3NoNsb1pA05RPj76ZKqszV2z8El7Yg22n4xAHz1rizOo9anWI619DYfRuUfh-P_PQOv7B3w/w483-h640/image.png" width="483" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>The post right before this one seems like it was a lifetime ago. Since 2014...</p><p>We had a beautiful baby boy in Jan 2015 named Jack</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2rPuaoXSll52gmxXXJk3nSqo5Oj3DKfnpqXX13h_wIkskU-EUyGQxzBMoZbYGK2nf9RPHunD-rfziYCmgC70ZFvBj2Jrd8ie010craiH5M_m92APVqvtLQuJdIwoG5VBioqzSMLK8g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2rPuaoXSll52gmxXXJk3nSqo5Oj3DKfnpqXX13h_wIkskU-EUyGQxzBMoZbYGK2nf9RPHunD-rfziYCmgC70ZFvBj2Jrd8ie010craiH5M_m92APVqvtLQuJdIwoG5VBioqzSMLK8g/w427-h640/image.png" width="427" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>We finished that primary color nursery a month after he was born (whoops!)</p><p>We took him to the beach and to Singapore and to Europe and to a Blackhawks game and to the beach again. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg54EFP62aEI4uY-9GXzSEdnFgmrNfSr0cHv49RLc4mqLHyNPm-Gqkv9ukuUFyEVxroZPU3Cf36R-lcxQkavdLZfR2Yp9ps7UrQI-CnL-EqBIQBb_n7NMdzrPGoGvLrpiiKGfsEubIXA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg54EFP62aEI4uY-9GXzSEdnFgmrNfSr0cHv49RLc4mqLHyNPm-Gqkv9ukuUFyEVxroZPU3Cf36R-lcxQkavdLZfR2Yp9ps7UrQI-CnL-EqBIQBb_n7NMdzrPGoGvLrpiiKGfsEubIXA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh003-1_lJG2br4gJfQfqfO3D-NKhFcP_gWhqInOoRsErukR4YJxI-j3erv5QurmXiAAbC0X3uEqhCatBd26fg7_gmsY1l1TWtoPUWMK9LDmKoGbknUeHyDUz7uyGjGSR3g8PXMgQoCrA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh003-1_lJG2br4gJfQfqfO3D-NKhFcP_gWhqInOoRsErukR4YJxI-j3erv5QurmXiAAbC0X3uEqhCatBd26fg7_gmsY1l1TWtoPUWMK9LDmKoGbknUeHyDUz7uyGjGSR3g8PXMgQoCrA/w640-h640/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg54EFP62aEI4uY-9GXzSEdnFgmrNfSr0cHv49RLc4mqLHyNPm-Gqkv9ukuUFyEVxroZPU3Cf36R-lcxQkavdLZfR2Yp9ps7UrQI-CnL-EqBIQBb_n7NMdzrPGoGvLrpiiKGfsEubIXA/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigQBrVr03xPtTf5cdGaAFji_hB4Pwj45_lWglkBx-HPqxRhaY2C12-rP_cQqNiwu2CTVh6tApbESa0Z0NkF9gOi3z5_baSpKKuN8RoNIF2Pui7uNRSm8S1gA7URlvxy3TQnOnhe7_nQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigQBrVr03xPtTf5cdGaAFji_hB4Pwj45_lWglkBx-HPqxRhaY2C12-rP_cQqNiwu2CTVh6tApbESa0Z0NkF9gOi3z5_baSpKKuN8RoNIF2Pui7uNRSm8S1gA7URlvxy3TQnOnhe7_nQ/w640-h640/image.png" width="640" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXZ7DRjoz8qFRShzbyns4veDioEILGKKZ6nti0fOOMRgoCgMMSxvgPaUFibWa3xxRDz2aX4GB-J1QgighL3sKtT-EkvrMwi8mM4DZy_fPJ-bA89MW_XZ2XKxZ8JquTo13X_8yrw30SQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXZ7DRjoz8qFRShzbyns4veDioEILGKKZ6nti0fOOMRgoCgMMSxvgPaUFibWa3xxRDz2aX4GB-J1QgighL3sKtT-EkvrMwi8mM4DZy_fPJ-bA89MW_XZ2XKxZ8JquTo13X_8yrw30SQ/w640-h640/image.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><br /><p></p><p>Then we got pregnant again and made our little family complete with little Duncan who arrived in 2017. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAt1ItC1iblkCqiwTBftglMOViZlj1Wf58_mJzYoQk3S5NCUSOSPwjW3DFPfhVvpCiBs0HDzemKXNjwbW993fMS5UbJxyuc-D8Y6M6hBL3LHBsfRGsl8gaWgH4_k_2VxkLPMY6am9EQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1574" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAt1ItC1iblkCqiwTBftglMOViZlj1Wf58_mJzYoQk3S5NCUSOSPwjW3DFPfhVvpCiBs0HDzemKXNjwbW993fMS5UbJxyuc-D8Y6M6hBL3LHBsfRGsl8gaWgH4_k_2VxkLPMY6am9EQ/w491-h640/image.png" width="491" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>After that, the whirlwind got faster and faster - my best friends and I took that tiny baby to Spain, we sold our condo in the city and became suburbanites... and that was all over 2 years ago. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4WR3p5CB0xxur6EmPGzs_T1tM2KRNojixl0S1A8l7amhEW1GFkLoG-7LIbS36QMMOYUJDpH0n3cYKJi12nxqSVkJXTbzD8atTwXNZfEr9EIoSqRL016JmGJ-nvUmtICe7ocStPGaYw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="1816" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4WR3p5CB0xxur6EmPGzs_T1tM2KRNojixl0S1A8l7amhEW1GFkLoG-7LIbS36QMMOYUJDpH0n3cYKJi12nxqSVkJXTbzD8atTwXNZfEr9EIoSqRL016JmGJ-nvUmtICe7ocStPGaYw/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cNY-NQhjKIDcB0IkWPjYI36qYWGvkYN3R-_yPAAuqCu_BW8tJNkRExzC5yQyZC9mNwK4FRg1K327AlWvYR6jgpjABQ-k5gwVcDmrKl-7kx0ySJyh0F4YI4-6ZpYeruIdsFTLI-vFAA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cNY-NQhjKIDcB0IkWPjYI36qYWGvkYN3R-_yPAAuqCu_BW8tJNkRExzC5yQyZC9mNwK4FRg1K327AlWvYR6jgpjABQ-k5gwVcDmrKl-7kx0ySJyh0F4YI4-6ZpYeruIdsFTLI-vFAA/w640-h640/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><p></p><p>Now I find myself so grateful for this suburban home while we quarantine with a little backyard and a first-floor den that is a full time playroom. I spend my days working, my evenings researching social justice, and my nights making cloth masks. 2020 is a doozy, but maybe it's also the perfect time to bring this project back to life. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2nSRgrHa3dUhECZGh8cUPkEN21uaaY1Jgi3y7rlbDhCN8LAH2H8fBayxLux1nwu9dIDznuf0FyJtRWUJMokj4mnaDev-gLGN0e8ErXwF7SI21jF9YQBSZxETz3ff4amdq2h3_wjdKg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="1030" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2nSRgrHa3dUhECZGh8cUPkEN21uaaY1Jgi3y7rlbDhCN8LAH2H8fBayxLux1nwu9dIDznuf0FyJtRWUJMokj4mnaDev-gLGN0e8ErXwF7SI21jF9YQBSZxETz3ff4amdq2h3_wjdKg/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qySfE7MuVvVaIPYC6P-mlCWM4Qf26qEx0LF_LWzVmW9Jayk0GMyiZ64JhU3FOL8TXz_7QLB8NTxGqiIUwMxKKo54FjhFeb861mnzu2x4mQQ4-197fdRvyqfx_jwOE08uW1hzRF6GgQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qySfE7MuVvVaIPYC6P-mlCWM4Qf26qEx0LF_LWzVmW9Jayk0GMyiZ64JhU3FOL8TXz_7QLB8NTxGqiIUwMxKKo54FjhFeb861mnzu2x4mQQ4-197fdRvyqfx_jwOE08uW1hzRF6GgQ/w640-h640/image.png" width="640" /></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydj8hWrKGroTFkIoS6oV2zS6dErZXPQsvlvcef_NL1-DHLq6c_DteM3hHOxapETaM8NY7zZPgCAuNDaGKi7xNSY3RTrqHmF4v-Xoy00WSfPdLvneg_wvHodZIo7WDj_16bikdf1Szmw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="1030" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydj8hWrKGroTFkIoS6oV2zS6dErZXPQsvlvcef_NL1-DHLq6c_DteM3hHOxapETaM8NY7zZPgCAuNDaGKi7xNSY3RTrqHmF4v-Xoy00WSfPdLvneg_wvHodZIo7WDj_16bikdf1Szmw/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /></div><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-45705870676180967272014-11-08T20:04:00.000-08:002014-11-08T20:04:03.097-08:00Let There Be Bright<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have been heavily wooed by the gorgeous pastel and muted nurseries that are out there. However, the reality is that babies aren't swaddled in pastels for long. From baby gyms to Bumbos to pretty much every toy that Fisher-Price makes, BOLD primary colors are going to take over the nursery (and the rest of the house...). The other thing I love about bright colors? It takes kids a long time to grow out of the room because the theme isn't limited to the soft tones of a newborn and it's easy to add their new interest in Thomas the Train or Dora the Explorer without having to redo the whole room.</div>
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So what are we thinking? Let me first start with some of the colorful, gender neutral nurseries that I just LOVE.<br />
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I have to start with this gorgeous nursery from Joy (and fellow Bee!) at <a href="http://www.howjoyful.com/2012/11/colorful-circus-gender-neutral-nursery/">HowJoyful</a>. I was instantly inspired by the whimsical circus theme paired with muted walls, bright colors, playful patterns and the beautiful marquee letter of the changing table. If you go to the blog, you'll see that she actually made many of the unique elements herself like the <a href="http://www.howjoyful.com/2012/07/nursery-felt-hot-air-ballon-mobile-tutorial-and-pattern/">hot air balloon mobile</a> and the <a href="http://www.howjoyful.com/2012/06/nursery-diy-elephant-lamp/">elephant lamp</a>. Seriously, my love for this nursery is just so much.<br />
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<a href="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad318/howjoyful/blog/circus-gender-neutral-room-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad318/howjoyful/blog/circus-gender-neutral-room-1.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad318/howjoyful/blog/circus-gender-neutral-room-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad318/howjoyful/blog/circus-gender-neutral-room-8.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad318/howjoyful/blog/circus-gender-neutral-room-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad318/howjoyful/blog/circus-gender-neutral-room-37.jpg" height="416" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love the way that color is used in this nursery to liven up the otherwise white space. Not to mention the adorable use of pompom garland and polka dots to fill the room with whimsey at <a href="http://www.raisingmissmatilda.com/2014/05/matildas-polka-dot-nursery-room-tour.html">Raising Miss Matilda</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP27OycU5b80qYB8BvS_Eus2IydRFmI_Xw1hB4zh8IfRE8TxqE0OARAt5p59jChwCzj1Y107wRf_Ajp9Ui_TgfNj_tErJy0ZuvvEq5pWLIgKmWgT7sveBXWccbKVEz2nK6ELcZl_lOXZZd/s1600/IMG_A0614.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP27OycU5b80qYB8BvS_Eus2IydRFmI_Xw1hB4zh8IfRE8TxqE0OARAt5p59jChwCzj1Y107wRf_Ajp9Ui_TgfNj_tErJy0ZuvvEq5pWLIgKmWgT7sveBXWccbKVEz2nK6ELcZl_lOXZZd/s1600/IMG_A0614.jpg.jpg" height="640" width="450" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfCn7ASSLOXQtyHP8CCVsRsuullDLuSK-84uXU_4h0oTvrdkyQOAenf2ITIRf4pf-DYOMQj_y_VLY_bUXhVcnCP5A0VUe_GyDC2jP205FxBlYU1KffcCRSg0-YwxC0E_eSovu8_YeHSt5/s1600/IMG_0478.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfCn7ASSLOXQtyHP8CCVsRsuullDLuSK-84uXU_4h0oTvrdkyQOAenf2ITIRf4pf-DYOMQj_y_VLY_bUXhVcnCP5A0VUe_GyDC2jP205FxBlYU1KffcCRSg0-YwxC0E_eSovu8_YeHSt5/s1600/IMG_0478.jpg.jpg" height="640" width="530" /></a></div>
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If you're looking for a quick inspiration, Lay Baby Lay is an amazing resource FULL of boards spanning every theme and color combination you could thing of. Here are a couple of my favorite primary color and brightly colored boards the have.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://res.cloudinary.com/laybabylay/image/upload/q_40/v1390364599/cherry-lemonade_xirfqy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://res.cloudinary.com/laybabylay/image/upload/q_40/v1390364599/cherry-lemonade_xirfqy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://laybabylay.com/cherry-lemonade">Cherry Lemonade at Lay Baby Lay</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://res.cloudinary.com/laybabylay/image/upload/q_40/v1391397433/skiphop-nursery_czve5b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://res.cloudinary.com/laybabylay/image/upload/q_40/v1391397433/skiphop-nursery_czve5b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://laybabylay.com/skiphop-project-nursery-giveaway">Alphabet Zoo at Lay Baby Lay</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://res.cloudinary.com/laybabylay/image/upload/q_40/v1390364790/Brights-Whites_ulrkuc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://res.cloudinary.com/laybabylay/image/upload/q_40/v1390364790/Brights-Whites_ulrkuc.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://laybabylay.com/brights-whites">Brights & Whites at Lay Baby Lay</a></td></tr>
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And to round out this round up, take a peek at this gorgeous nursery from <a href="http://www.amymallory.com/2013/11/26/tour-of-our-eclectic-gender-neutral-nursery/">Amy Mallory</a>. Each element feels handpicked for the space and not a single corner or tabletop has been over looked. The original post has dozens of beautiful photos highlighting all the details, so be sure to head over there and take a look.<br />
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What do you think? Have I convinced you that bright, gender neutral nurseries are the way to go? </div>
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Next post reveals our inspiration board for our nerdery!</div>
<br />KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-16127586665812583862014-10-27T08:37:00.000-07:002014-10-27T08:37:07.136-07:00A Pregnancy Unicorn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZnhWe-d47kT4q8-FZYWb77yK1Mf5hxCljubjtsVBWtGU6ywoHYdkHFNImQjO5JO_vnk0cbaLm51Ks5dxo06fNnf3pn5Ovx-Pcgwh-Xq6vKMctBN9Vswde9nW7v-1c5a37p3-s2RnUw/s1600/glitter-rainbow-unicorn-favim-com-237329.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZnhWe-d47kT4q8-FZYWb77yK1Mf5hxCljubjtsVBWtGU6ywoHYdkHFNImQjO5JO_vnk0cbaLm51Ks5dxo06fNnf3pn5Ovx-Pcgwh-Xq6vKMctBN9Vswde9nW7v-1c5a37p3-s2RnUw/s1600/glitter-rainbow-unicorn-favim-com-237329.gif" height="400" width="398" /></a></div>
It was brought to my attention this weekend that I am a Pregnancy Unicorn. A dear friend of mine is due 3 months after us and was hoping to commiserate with me when we were together in Minneapolis this weekend, but I was a total let down. Every gripe she had, I was all "oh, yeah, I didn't have that."<br />
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I'll be honest, I've noticed that I'm suuuuuuuper lucky this pregnancy. In fact, that's why I haven't been blogging about it. I mean, who wants to read a blog that's all sunshine and rainbows? No gross morning sickness stories, no terrible "I peed my pants when I sneezed" stories. That's BORING.<br />
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So I've been following this advice. I've been keeping calm, and I'm a pregnancy unicorn. What does that mean exactly?</div>
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- I didn't have Morning Sickness</div>
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- Very limited food aversions (I wasn't big into chicken for a couple weeks and one week I couldn't stand the smell of cooking beef)</div>
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- I magically lost 10lbs in the first trimester, probably because I was happy to eat all the new summer vegetables and started a new workout routine at Barre Code (yes, dr approved!)</div>
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- I haven't broken out with acne</div>
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- My boobs are bigger, but aside from some bra extenders, I haven't needed to buy all new bras</div>
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- I have some fatigue, but for the most part, I have just as much energy as I did pre-pregnancy, although now that I pee 5x a night, I'm a bit more tired than earlier in the pregnancy</div>
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- I started to really show, pretty late. So I have been able to wear a lot of my tops, and only had to buy all new maternity bottoms</div>
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- To date, I've gained 15 lbs, so I'm only really up 5 lb vs where I was pre-pregnancy</div>
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- My worst symptoms have been: carpal tunnel, super tender boobs all first trimester, achey back, really gross gas (sorry, husband), snoring (sorry again, husband) and I'm just starting to get swelling in my hands and feet</div>
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Am I the only pregnancy unicorn out there?? How was your pregnancy?KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-48323783922871791972014-10-14T13:56:00.003-07:002014-10-14T13:56:36.821-07:00Back to the BlogAre you there readers? It's me, Kelsey.<br />
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I've been pretty MIA this year, and I have lots of excuses.<br />
- I got a new job (Yay!)<br />
- We're having a baby (Yay!)<br />
- Pregnancy is tiring<br />
- We have to retrain our dog (boo)<br />
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But the big one? I've been lazy. Instead of opening Blogger when I get home, I sit on FB or Pinterest, or don't even open my laptop.<br />
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It's been a big fat lazy summer, and before that, I was not in a great headspace - really stressed with my old job, stressed trying to find a new one, stressed about not getting pregnant right away. Stressed. Stressed. Stressed.<br />
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So now that fall is upon us, I wanted to ramp this bad boy back up. No promises on 3-4 posts a week, but I'm going to set a very attainable goal of one per week until I get back in my blogging groove thang.<br />
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See you soon!KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-30600270971021101062014-07-12T12:10:00.000-07:002014-07-12T12:10:41.199-07:00OH BABY!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I can't believe it, but we're having a BABY! </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">We'd been trying since last fall, and were actually about to take a break when I got a Big Fat Positive! </span></div>
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This whole thing has been overwhelming, but we are super excited to welcome our little pickle into the world in January (due January 16). I've stocked up on pregnancy books, baby bargain books, and parenting books; and I've signed up for more baby apps and newsletters than my inbox can probably handle. </div>
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But after love, and after marriage, but before the baby, comes the pregnancy announcement!</div>
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Since the Baconator is a huuuuuuge Star Wars fan, as proven by our dog, Leia, and his killer Jedi costume (that I handmade), I knew I wanted to incorporate that into our announcement. We used a Star Warsy Font (<a href="http://www.dafont.com/sf-distant-galaxy.font">SF Distant Galaxy Alternate</a>) and the iconic saying along with our wedding shoes and some itty bitty Converse to announce to our friends and family on FB that a baby is coming! A friend took our pic in our backyard after work, and this bad boy was up online the next morning.</div>
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How did you tell the world? Do you have any newbie parenting advice to share?</div>
<br />KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-63785295333203372272014-01-07T20:36:00.001-08:002014-01-07T20:36:19.748-08:00#WEverb14: SentThe more of these I do, the more excited I get about these prompts. I legit think they are getting even better. For Day 7, we have...<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="color: #674ea7;">SENT</span><span style="color: #741b47;">.</span></span><br />
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<i>What was the best thing you sent to someone in 2013? What will you send this year <span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">(hint: think about “send” in many different ways… mail, packages, email, text messages, etc.)</span></i></div>
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I don't have a single thing that I sent that was the best... in fact, I still have two Christmas presents sitting on my desk from 2013 that I haven't sent yet (sorry guys!). But you know what I did send this year? Oh yeah, BUNCHES of SnapChats. I first heard about Snapchat at the beginning of the year, but didn't actually start using the app until this summer. My friends and I send each other selfies of pretty much the ugliest faces ever and so many photos of our dogs. Every time I open the app I have at least two wacky dog pics preparing to load, and it is seriously the best. </div>
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I know that teens use it for sexting and that I'm about a decade too old to have an account, but it's so fun. I got a Snapchat birthday message this year of my friend Cory singing Happy Birthday with a pointy hat drawn on his head. This is the future, and it's so amazing.</div>
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So for 2014, I'm excited to see what new technology comes out! </div>
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What's the best thing you sent?</div>
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Love and Bacon,</div>
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Kelsey</div>
KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-61472430746339375812014-01-06T21:19:00.000-08:002014-01-06T21:19:58.383-08:00#WEverb14: CaptureHave you been following along? Here we are on day six of #WEverb14 and today's prompt was <span style="color: #6aa84f;">CAPTURE</span>.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #444444;">Share your favorite memory captured from 2013. What's your plan to capture 2014?</span></i><br />
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So the preferred memory capturing technique of 2013 was definitely selfies. Legit, we are in our late twenties and love taking selfies. It was so intense that I couldn't find a decent photo of the two of us for our Christmas card and ended up using a selfie taken at a wedding. Don't believe me?<br />
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Here's this year's Christmas card (with a selfie from <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/author/msscooter/#axzz2Pcfnu0K4">Mrs. Scooter's</a> wedding)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lkBF-eqByyzYp6hzBq6wydTdyTkmhG9_OlzkGRaupxiYpDLobOZNjcAlMvXLWDgvuLx-BMNSs8liugFX9ksCHnDoxShhERUE2DgCbO-gIpeUcLLHkN3KmLN7Nb6l2n0oLukcZplisQ/s1600/733801_10102279356248654_1598472474_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lkBF-eqByyzYp6hzBq6wydTdyTkmhG9_OlzkGRaupxiYpDLobOZNjcAlMvXLWDgvuLx-BMNSs8liugFX9ksCHnDoxShhERUE2DgCbO-gIpeUcLLHkN3KmLN7Nb6l2n0oLukcZplisQ/s1600/733801_10102279356248654_1598472474_n.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
So in 2014, I plan on capturing more photos using our digital SLR camera. I started the year with our DSLR at the NYE party, and I want to keep on using it. We are planning another trip to Jamaica and a trip to DC and a trip to NOLA and (hopefully) having a baby - all of those are great reasons to take proper photos!! 2014 will be the year of lots of photos!<br />
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What are you going to capture?<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
KelseyKayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-46594608164756926222014-01-05T12:11:00.000-08:002014-01-05T12:14:58.017-08:00#WEverb14: SingYay!! Today's prompt is <span style="color: orange;">SING</span>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Baskerville, 'Playfair Display', 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;">What song or lyrics will be forever tied to 2013 in your mind? What songs are you excited to keep with you through 2014?</span><br />
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Guys, I LOVE singing. Back in high school I was in not 1, not 2, but 3 choirs and I was even nerdy enough to go to choir camp. I love singing that much. I'll admit, I was not the best, but I can hold a tune, and belting along to Taylor Swift is still one of my all time favorite things to do in a car. And now that we have a car, I've been doing LOTS of that. So naturally, the song that I most associate with 2013 is Taylor Swift's 22 - I liked it so much I blogged about it. While I was actually 28 for much of 2013, I can't help but love lyrics like <span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.046875px;">It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters" and "</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.046875px;">We ditch the whole scene and end up dreaming instead of sleeping." In case you aren' t familiar with it, turn your volume on full blast and get your dancing pants on when watching the video.</span></span><br />
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But what about the song I want to keep singing in 2014? It's the rhythmic lovechild of my guilty pleasure artist (Pitbull) and the Baconator's (Ke$ha) - TIMBER!! This little gem worked its way into my regular rotation a couple months ago when he discovered it somewhere on the internet, and now it's a staple of every car ride.<br />
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What song do you want to keep on singing?<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
KelseyKayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-22894066157909591252014-01-04T19:03:00.000-08:002014-01-04T19:07:01.728-08:00#WEverb14: Rebuild<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today's prompt is: <span style="color: #45818e;">REBUILD</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you plan to pick-up or rebuild this year?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is something I've thought about a lot. When I was a teenager I was on the phone all the time, like on the phone until 3 am on a regular basis, but now that I'm in my late twenties, I avoid the phone. I spend my whole work day on the phone and answering email, so then when it comes time to do those things in my personal life, I simply don't want to. The consequences of that mean that my relationships with my very best friends are conducted sporadically and via social media. That's simply not good enough for the women who have been by my side throughout it all - high school, college, my wedding - nope, the occasional Facebook poke isn't enough. So what I'm going to rebuild this year is my real life friendships. This means more calls, more emails, more face to face time with my friends, even if that takes some work.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can't wait to hear about the projects that they are working on and the hot date they went on and whether or not they are planning to buy a house or have a baby - all this not from a Facebook post or from a photo on Instagram, but from them one on one. This year, I'm going to be a better friend.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are you rebuilding?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Love and Bacon,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kelsey</span></span></span>KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-71209731027695759212014-01-03T21:37:00.000-08:002014-01-03T21:39:11.634-08:00#WEverb14: Hasten<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorry for the late update, I didn't have a chance to check out the prompts today. Here's the 3rd one:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;">3: HASTEN</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><i>What new trick or shortcut did you learn in 2013? What do you want to speed up in 2014?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Ooh this is a tough one. I mean, I have two whole Pinterest boards dedicated to exactly this idea - one is <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/kaymeigee/clean-tidy-tips-tricks/">Clean & Tidy</a> (dedicated to being clean and organized) and the other is <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/kaymeigee/good-to-know/">Good To Know</a> (Things that don't fit in Clean and Tidy like remedies and charts). I think the best thing I've pinned this year that actually helps me do things quicker is from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-peel-cut-core-and-seed--174347">the Kitchn</a> - the article breaks down how to cut, dice and chop fruit and vegetables. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">The one most helpful to me was definitely cutting <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/video-how-to-dice-an-onion-48681">onions</a>. Onions always make me cry, so I don't have a lot of practice with them, but their method makes tons of sense! You essentially cut the onion in half, then use a grid pattern to get perfectly sized pieces of onions - GENIUS! I've even offered to cut onions for dinner now that I know this trick!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Source: <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/video-how-to-dice-an-onion-48681">The Kitchn</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">For 2014, I really need to apply myself to keeping a clean home all the time. The Baconator and I are both pretty messy, and we both go through bouts of cleaning, but my goal is to figure out how to get my house cleaner faster and how to keep it that way. A clean, mean, twenty fourteen!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">What are you hoping to Hasten in 2014?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Love and Bacon,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kelsey</span></div>
KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-38444839201117324942014-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:002014-01-02T14:33:06.350-08:00#WEverb14: RememberHere's the second prompt for #WEverb14:<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;">2. REMEMBER</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Baskerville, 'Playfair Display', 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 27px;"><i>What did you do in 2013 that you will remember the details of forever?</i></span><br />
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Last year (OMG, that went by so fast!!), I purchased my first car. Well, we purchased it, and technically, it's not my first car. But it is the first time that I've had to buy a car. I made spreadsheets and we did test drives and it took foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who doesn't love <i>The Sandlot</i>??</td></tr>
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Not just picking out the car, but the actual buying process. I am not kidding around here when I say that it took us 3+ hours to buy the vehicle once we got to the dealership. We decided to go with a Toyota Prius V Five because we liked the drive, the liked the features that came with it, with liked the storage capacity (only 3 cubic feet smaller than the Rav4) and of course, we liked the amazing gas milage. As an added bonus, the Baconator gets a family discount on Toyotas because his dad works for them down in Indiana. We walked in knowing exactly how much we'd pay for the car, and we'd even been emailing with the dealership and had picked out the exact vehicle we would be driving off the lot.<br />
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There was no haggling on price, but man-oh-man, the things they try to up sell take hours. I mean, we talked to 5 different guys, maybe even 6, on the day we bought the car from the showroom to when we finally got the keys. But now that we've had our little red car for 4 months, I could not be happier.<br />
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In 4.5 months, we've put over 4000 miles on it, filled up gas 10 times, drove back and forth to Evansville 4 times, road tripped to Peoria and I have filled the windshield wiper fluid. (Ok, so that wasn't actually significant).<br />
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Here she is: Penny, our Red Prius!<br />
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What's your Remember moment from 2013?<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
KelseyKayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-9367386268248713812014-01-01T20:11:00.000-08:002014-01-02T14:33:17.010-08:00#WEverb14 Kicks Off Today!So you may have noticed that I'm a little... willy nilly with my blogging frequency, so I've decided to kick of the year by tackling one of my resolutions: blog more often (yes, I realize that this was one of last year's resolutions, too).<br />
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Anyway, what better way to get back in the swing of things than to join the <a href="http://www.weverb14.com/">#WEverb14</a> cycle that is kicking off today? None that I can think of :)<br />
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So what is #weverb? It's essential 31 prompts that will help you reflect on 2013 and looks forward to 2014! How you participate is up to you, one prompt, just a handful or every one of them. My intention is to answer each of them through the month of January. <br />
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I'd love if you did it along with me! I'll post the prompt along with my response every day.<br />
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Kicking it off, here's the first prompt:<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">1: COMPOSE</span><br />
<i><span style="color: #666666;">Write a haiku for 2013 and one for 2014</span></i><br />
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<b>2013:</b><br />
Travel (Gold Status!)<br />
Sky blue waters, wedding days<br />
And Cincinnati<br />
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<b>2014:</b><br />
My resolutions<br />
Last all year, no matter what<br />
With no excuses<br />
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What are your haikus?<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
KelseyKayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-18871670397006820822013-10-26T18:37:00.001-07:002014-01-02T14:35:18.186-08:00I Love My Pit Bull (and why you should, too)I just learned that today is National Pit Bull Awareness Day and that October is National Pit Bull Awareness month. I am so glad that these under appreciated and totally misunderstood pups are getting some national coverage for being fantastic family dogs!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowie and Alice</td></tr>
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A number of years back, my best friend had a pit bull named Bowie and this dog was the exact opposite of what I'd heard about pit bulls. I mean, c'mon, I literally spooned with this dog when the Baconator and I visited Harlem. 3 people and a dog in a full-sized bed made for tight quarters, but this dog was the best. It was during this one little weekend that pit bulls started sneaking up the potential breed list for me.<br />
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Before we had fully decided to adopt a dog, I was volunteering at a no-kill shelter here in Chicago, <a href="http://www.pawschicago.org/">PAWS</a>. It was there, that I became fully sold on adopting a pit. I fell in love with not one, not two but 4 different pit bulls there that, while very energetic, were extremely loving and eager to please. PAWS has a <a href="http://www.pawschicago.org/adoptions/pit-pals/">dedicated program for pit bulls</a> that fully vets potential owners and dedicates an entire course to educate new owners on how to be responsible with their new pit bulls. (In Chicago, there is still quite a bit of illegal dogfighting, so shelters need to be extra cautious when vetting owners for pits to make sure the dogs are going to good homes.) When the time finally came time to adopt, we actually chose to go with one of the smaller pit bull specific non-profits in Chicago to ensure that we would get a puppy and since the smaller ones need more help. (You can read all about adopting Leia <a href="http://www.baconandbliss.com/search?updated-max=2012-04-25T07:34:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=21&by-date=false">here</a> and <a href="http://www.baconandbliss.com/2012/04/in-galaxy-far-far-away.html">here</a>.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leia's first day with us!</td></tr>
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We adopted Leia last April and she has turned our lives upside down, in the best possible way. She is on the small side for a pit (47 lbs), but full of wiggles, doggy kisses and the occasional snore. Everyone that comes to our house has been converted into a pit bull lover, and that includes a number of folks who were afraid of all dongs before meeting her. She loves people and practically throws her whole body into you because all she wants to do is be near you and get some puppy pats. In fact, I've never seen a dog that is so patient - all winter long she is dressed in sweaters (and sometimes booties), and she has a costume every Halloween! Leia loves to play with other dogs, our cats and will do anything for a good scratch behind the ears... well, maybe not fetch... that classic dog game seems to have alluded her...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-sb2I7ZSx3CracodutItxVl6Jxx2be3pYxQ_tzUUXXvaCHV7XDttivNkR9UR78MGvyHIPrSsIzoecNnPzjoQ2G_PGgzw_jEVNrIRJTrELOGgpJBLCO5_AZoLjA9F2lt_kg5bsSAu1Q/s1600/IMG_2789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-sb2I7ZSx3CracodutItxVl6Jxx2be3pYxQ_tzUUXXvaCHV7XDttivNkR9UR78MGvyHIPrSsIzoecNnPzjoQ2G_PGgzw_jEVNrIRJTrELOGgpJBLCO5_AZoLjA9F2lt_kg5bsSAu1Q/s640/IMG_2789.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying on Costumes at Petco</td></tr>
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She is nothing like the growling, snarling, angry, biting, terrible and terrifying dog that is on the news, and let's be real, most real life pit bulls aren't. Take for example, Miss M and Mr. B in the amazing blog, <a href="http://pittiesincity.blogspot.com/">Two Pitties in the City</a> - they are stand up citizens here in Chicago that are just fabulous dogs, I'd even put them in the column of "rolepups" for Leia. They are well mannered, sweet, obedient PIT BULLS that are happy to wear doggy goggles and trek around town meeting people. Of course, much of their great training comes from their really wonderful owners, but the owners aren't master trainers with their own video series. Nope, they are regular people that love their dogs and decided to tell their story online. I'd highly suggest checking out their blog if you are a pit lover or a pit skeptic.<br />
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I love the infograph that Huffington Post shared earlier this month. I think it really encapsulates what we've been trying to tell the world: Pit bulls are great dogs and they deserve the opportunity to become family dogs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source:<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/pit-bulls-_n_4151562.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009&utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false"> The Huffington Post</a></td></tr>
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So this month, tell someone about the pit bull breed, and remind them that breed specific legislation is unfair, unjust and kills thousands of dogs every year, just for being born.<br />
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Here are some other great links on why pit bulls really just are great dogs:<br />
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Huff Post: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/breed-specific-legislation_n_3943687.html">17 Pit Bulls That Prove Breed Specific Legislation Doesn't Know What It's Talking About</a><br />
Petfinder: <a href="http://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/dog-adoption/reasons-why-pit-bulls-rule/">10 Reasons Why Pit Bulls Rule</a><br />
Dogster:<a href="http://www.dogster.com/dog-breeds/pitbulls"> 10 Common Misconceptions About Pit Bulls</a><br />
Buzzfeed: <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/the-20-most-adorable-pit-bull-puppy-pictures-ever">The 20 Most Adorable Pit Bull Puppy Pictures Ever</a><br />
Buzzfeed: <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseamarshall/37-pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-pit-bulls">37 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith In Pit Bulls</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just enjoying the sunshine</td></tr>
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Love and Bacon,<br />
Kelsey (and Leia)KayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-74918358953232030442013-08-24T10:02:00.001-07:002013-08-24T10:02:54.614-07:00Bad Customer = Bad Service?I saw this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-walsh/bad-customer-service_b_3799574.html">Huff Post</a> article shared on Facebook this morning that I just had to comment on, because the writer is SPOT ON. Essentially, the writer goes through this bizarre interchange she saw at a burger joint by another customer and has written an op-ed, and here's the part that had me yelling "Amen" from the rooftops:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>And that brings us to the possible answer to that query you posed in the midst of your ketchup rant. You asked: "Why can't I ever f*cking get good customer service?" Well, ma'am, that might have something to do with you being a vulgar, miserable, malicious person. Maybe you get bad customer service because you're a bad customer. Did you ever consider that possibility?</i></span></blockquote>
It's SO true! As a gal that has worked at two major restaurant chains in her early twenties, I can tell you without question, that the customer is NOT always right.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7s9EOJCMO9DCgTHUw2rc6SNMLKzuxfhnQPl1ydKRhfUePr3i2J2bmwW5tmdel6EIMbguoyFXFhsildYjw73av9IaYvpW_8gEzsr6cVO7AT9xfz0SJ_3xWDgy0aNEMC-epwCW4bf2ww/s1600/Hard+Rock+DC+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7s9EOJCMO9DCgTHUw2rc6SNMLKzuxfhnQPl1ydKRhfUePr3i2J2bmwW5tmdel6EIMbguoyFXFhsildYjw73av9IaYvpW_8gEzsr6cVO7AT9xfz0SJ_3xWDgy0aNEMC-epwCW4bf2ww/s640/Hard+Rock+DC+Me.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just working for those tips!</td></tr>
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Like when I worked at Hard Rock and had to walk back to the kitchen with half eaten BBQ chicken that the customer suddenly decided wasn't good so that it could be replaced. Or when I'd spend over an hour laughing and schmoozing with a table of Ladies Who Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory only to be left a paltry 10% tip while they drive off in their Bentleys (which I could always see them retrieving from the valet stand right outside). I've dealt with some iffy folks, but I've only ever been yelled at once, and realistically it wasn't that bad... I wasn't even yelled at when I dropped a caesar salad on a teenager.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsb_bH6fdOwErWRFDQGi5Xvv3S5RF7XTNCQ5eRCIOX14AtSHquoxBMvCH0VZFa8yTWo_vy7LgQd3-Vnjb86WAsySeQAa9ck_53Bh3NMhgk-2SRsbH6RsjxyF7lDFi4pW_4y5S2Xfy9Yw/s1600/DSC00012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsb_bH6fdOwErWRFDQGi5Xvv3S5RF7XTNCQ5eRCIOX14AtSHquoxBMvCH0VZFa8yTWo_vy7LgQd3-Vnjb86WAsySeQAa9ck_53Bh3NMhgk-2SRsbH6RsjxyF7lDFi4pW_4y5S2Xfy9Yw/s640/DSC00012.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's one of the hubs, doing that barista thing</td></tr>
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But I've been a customer plenty of times and I've seen people like the woman in the article: the ones that think they can yell at the staff because they are the customer; the ones that yell at the Starbucks barista because their drink is too hot or there isn't milk at the condiment stand; the ones that try to use social media to shame an establishment using pictures of their screaming children as bait; the ones that hold up an entire line because there is ketchup on a burger rather than being a grown up and scraping it off like the rest of us. Oh yes, I've seen plenty of those people. The author is totally right, as a server/barista/cashier/postal worker you can see those people a mile away and you know that no matter what you do they are going to throw a stink, so they get the service they deserve - you know, the same way that the nice people get fantastic service.<br />
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So go forth and order whatever you'd like, as long as it's not the people behind the counter.<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
KelseyKayMeiGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03939218958343802391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-50346762496039463182013-08-09T07:01:00.001-07:002014-01-02T14:35:53.704-08:00Once, AlwaysI don't talk about it much, but I am a sorority girl. I have letters and a secret handshake and colors and a flower and cheers and memories full of frat parties, sisterhood outings, big/little nights, semis and formals, late nights in the sorority house and lots of other things I shouldn't share with the Internet. Being a Phi Sig shaped who I am, starting my first month of college, but I (like many ladies in the PanHellenic system) kind of forgot about how important it was once I graduated from college. That is, until Wednesday morning.<br />
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On Wednesday, I was off getting coffee with some coworkers and while we waited in the crowded Starbucks for our liquid energy, one of our newer team members looked at me and said, "love your outfit! Those are my sorority colors: king blue and gold." I literally threw my hands up and was all, "um, what sorority!?!????!!!" When she said Phi Sigma Sigma, I nearly shouted in excitement (and all this before my morning joe). I graduated from GW in 2007, so it's been a really long time since I've met a new Sister. Suddenly I was so filled with pride and excitement that all I wanted to do was chat with her about sorority stuff, thankfully she was equally excited.<br />
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As a more senior person at our agency, I don't friend the newer people on FB since I don't want them to feel obligated to add me, but within minutes of getting to my desk I was adding Maura and posting about my excitement. So here I am, 3 days later brimming with pride for the sisterhood that helped me become the woman I am and rocking a Phi Sig themed mani to boot.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1150238_10102081246527124_772421109_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1150238_10102081246527124_772421109_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Are any of you Greek and found a sister (or brother) in an unexpected place?<br />
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Love and Bacon (LITP!),<br />
KelseyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-26903568980315217062013-07-17T08:00:00.000-07:002014-01-02T14:36:03.771-08:00Pinned It & Did It! Parmesan Kale SaladOn my way back from Singapore in February, I had a nice long layover in SoCal which meant I could join my cousin and her hubs for a quick dinner before heading back to Chicago - along with surprise guest, my dad! The 4 of us went down to <a href="http://www.tendergreens.com/" target="_blank">Tender Greens</a> and I had this totally killer Kale Salad as one of my sides. I came back to Chicago try to convince the Baconator that we had to try to make this ourselves and he pretty much laughed at me. "Raw kale is bitter, that would taste terrible," he said, brushing the suggestion aside, but I still couldn't get this simple salad out of my head. The menu simply stated: kale,<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">parmesan, roasted garlic vinaigrette. Really? That's it? How in the world was I supposed to replicate? Clearly I couldn't, so I gave up.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21px;">I was at the farmers market last week and saw some gorgeous kale on sale and I started thinking back to that salad, so... </span><span style="line-height: 21px;">(</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdIev12fCPs" style="line-height: 21px;" target="_blank">To the tune of Mighty Mouse)</a><span style="line-height: 21px;"> Here comes Pinterest to save the day! I searched all the pins and found this awesome recipe from <a href="http://www.theslenderstudent.com/meatless-monday-lemon-parmesan-kale-salad/" target="_blank">The Slender Student</a>.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 21px;"><script src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZegbHMqIXhEysO83S746BAGaS0IpN7W6ASNfExMkMk4wOWhdvaJ_bGK5gShvtdyM89Wdhj5RPIgDknrtae8PGGUmeHsIdD_Nqa8alk-hUmynwikudJbO0X8suSFAGJ7fOQQxwYYeXE_6V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-16+at+10.55.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZegbHMqIXhEysO83S746BAGaS0IpN7W6ASNfExMkMk4wOWhdvaJ_bGK5gShvtdyM89Wdhj5RPIgDknrtae8PGGUmeHsIdD_Nqa8alk-hUmynwikudJbO0X8suSFAGJ7fOQQxwYYeXE_6V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-16+at+10.55.20+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/163959242657163960/" target="_blank">Pin it!</a></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 21px;">Here's the recipe from The Slender Student</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u>Ingredients</u>:</span>1 bunch of kale<br />3 T chopped onion<br />2 T minced garlic<br />1 T olive oil<br />juice of one lemon<br />2 T shredded parmesan cheese</i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u>Directions</u>:</span>1. Thoroughly rinse and dry your kale. Chop into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.<br />2. In a small bowl, whisk together your onion, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese.<br />3. Pour the dressing over the kale and massage with your hands for a minute or two until the leaves are slightly wilted.<br />4. Refrigerate for at least an hour before eating to allow the kale to absorb the flavor.</i></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 21px;">The ingredients were simple as was the prep, so off I went to clean, tear and <i>massage</i> my kale into a delicious splendor. The recipe called for a bunch of kale, which I assumed didn't mean the GIANT bunch I got from the market, so I added some extra garlic and onion, but otherwise followed the instructions to a T - don't do that folks, it gives you crazy bad garlic breath! I am also a sucker for shredded parm so I added a bit more of that goodness... and good it was :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0EXDxlWQusHf1Zm0m3mcFARFh_anaONJY0eXinMkcCdkqFMWElfM3rV5pc7TLbksUHYXw8uAJGW0lHZR1KFVDzWMkYS4FPYcM_THDoO4dZV0dJGTKsAb1-mIC3C_gxtix_2pdPSm-_96/s1600/IMG_2296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0EXDxlWQusHf1Zm0m3mcFARFh_anaONJY0eXinMkcCdkqFMWElfM3rV5pc7TLbksUHYXw8uAJGW0lHZR1KFVDzWMkYS4FPYcM_THDoO4dZV0dJGTKsAb1-mIC3C_gxtix_2pdPSm-_96/s400/IMG_2296.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum! Did it!</td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 21px;">I'll definitely make this bad boy again, but next time I'm going to try and roast the garlic in my oven before making the dressing since the current version is hot with the raw garlic flavor. Do you have a favorite Kale salad recipe that is your go to?</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 21px;">Love and Bacon,</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 21px;">Kelsey</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-31459878094203827522013-07-16T20:27:00.001-07:002013-07-16T20:27:52.073-07:00One of Those PeopleDo you ever meet people and think, "now where has this person been my whole life?" because you hit it off instantly? Folks that you see and it doesn't matter how much times passes because it's like nothing has changed?<br />
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Tonight I had dinner with one of those people in my life. We met 3 years ago, after a mutual friend thought that she was a good fit for my wedding; 2 years ago, we were making a shot list for the upcoming nuptials; a year ago we were eating burgers at DMK for hours talking about married life and her new full-time photography gig; tonight we had a 2.5 hour long sushi extravaganza and discussed all the things that have changed - her new city, her engagement (hoooooooray!), my new condo, our plans for the future and all that goodness in between. Jordan is my former wedding photographer/friendor/long lost gal pal/soul sister that I see once in a a blue moon... and every single time, it's the best time ever.<br />
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I think that Hollywood forgets to tell us that these kinds of friendships exist - the ones that start in your mid-twenties that don't involve getting blackout drunk or seeing each other everyday or frenemy drama. Maybe these stories are harder to tell? Either way, I thought I'd share with the world that friendships like this do exist - the ones that start as business then turn into play and can span state lines and don't require constant texting and chatting on the phone and always make you happy.<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
Kelsey<br />
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PS - I just realized that we don't have a picture together... I'll make sure to fix that the next time we get together... whether that is next month or next year :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-171203963165893812013-07-15T21:41:00.001-07:002013-07-15T21:46:27.116-07:00The 15 PercentBack in June, General Mills premiered a new heart health Cheerios ad, just in time for Father's Day. The ad features this adorbs little girl that wants to know if Cheerios are good for your heart and later pours them all of her dad because she loves him so much and wants him to have a healthy heart. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kYofm5d5Xdw" style="text-align: start;" width="480"></iframe></div>
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Killer, right? Makes everybody want to go out and buy some Cheerios right away. Wrong. Apparently folks were all up in arms because the dad is black, the mom is white and the little girl is brown. Honestly, I was upset that people were upset, but to bring all that up now is about 6 weeks too late. There were a bunch of really great responses to the outrage from<a href="http://jezebel.com/im-biracial-and-that-cheerios-ad-is-a-big-fucking-dea-510740851" target="_blank"> the somewhat explicit, but totally on point, Jezebel post</a> that came out right after the video was released to <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/lol/kids-react-cheerios-commercial-race/" target="_blank">the heart warming reaction of kids</a> that came out today, but the one that really makes me proud to be biracial is the tumblr site, <a href="http://wearethe15percent.com/" target="_blank">We Are The 15 Percent.</a><br />
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<a href="http://wearethe15percent.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASO-WKdC97LEzHaHfnGvjB13IKJo9x-jjeZbOq8ZgEmoaSZNb3gI79F7U0weli3-UGDtmyXA_XifgEt8dundriDtC1wLqzQEccoyGrcHFKzE8hoeQBfZKRaxDhHbmkdNq-zsXeo1pF78Z/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-07-15+at+11.33.53+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This site is a collection of lovely photos that are updated numerous times a day of biracial and multiracial families that have all been submitted by users. They are actively pulling together photos of families from across the US (and sometimes Canada) that showcase the love, beauty and 100% normalcy that is mixed race couples and families. It's the kind of site that makes you want to tell everyone about it because it's all about good. Why the 15%? According to the a 2010 Pew study, 15% of new marriages are interracial - yes, FIFTEEN percent! The way I see it, that is awesome and it's only going up from there. We live in a world that is so accessible, where cultures are crossing borders and salsa outsells ketchup - pretty soon the site will need to be updated to the 16, 17 and 18%. <br />
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But you've probably already heard about all of these things because of Facebook and BuzzFeed and all kinds of things. Why do I care and why am I telling you again? Simply, I am the result of an interracial marriage from way before it was cool (oh hey, 1979, how's it hangin'?) and I am an active participant in an interracial marriage, helping to drive up that percentage rate. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkbcXdn_7Ae8morYeBgrBnN-xl-VHRa2qcYruKPyQEx-gTTaKPfQH3IM0Rl9ceVvhwDWjfeiSzGZ2atV9XhsAkS7cxhbCi6DrWO-lemZAbQZBBrDotefvuaIKuXxpGwIVhkP9BI3fq6Bz/s1600/kmgamblin@gmail.com3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkbcXdn_7Ae8morYeBgrBnN-xl-VHRa2qcYruKPyQEx-gTTaKPfQH3IM0Rl9ceVvhwDWjfeiSzGZ2atV9XhsAkS7cxhbCi6DrWO-lemZAbQZBBrDotefvuaIKuXxpGwIVhkP9BI3fq6Bz/s640/kmgamblin@gmail.com3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parents - trend setting since '79... white tux and all</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Wj7bFXKpydBjlcrCxcgImyA_vwo0qXUYRBU274Q0sUNexzS-S-eg_GZiorJ1884KGZEGj4n-vju6IURd4PwViIbLLF060K4eBTwqhJCIHCctkw9vgFW4p5lDwc5fyxHDw0fOkFhD8Kfy/s1600/20110910-IMG_2643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Wj7bFXKpydBjlcrCxcgImyA_vwo0qXUYRBU274Q0sUNexzS-S-eg_GZiorJ1884KGZEGj4n-vju6IURd4PwViIbLLF060K4eBTwqhJCIHCctkw9vgFW4p5lDwc5fyxHDw0fOkFhD8Kfy/s640/20110910-IMG_2643.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wedding day - incorporating my Chinese heritage</td></tr>
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As a gal that has lived in the US, Asia and Europe, in big cities and small towns, I noticed that while I relate to my Asian heritage all the time, the only place that I really fit in is the US. We are a nation full of folks like me - hodgepodges and mixies - I mean, even our president isn't just one ethnicity! So for me, this ad was a big deal. When we have kids, I don't want them to ever wonder if they are less because they aren't all white or all yellow or all purple, I want them to grow up seeing themselves reflected in the media. When I was growing up, I don't remember a single show that had interracial couples, maybe interfaith, but never interracial; In drugstores, I wouldn't be able to find the right foundation because none of the shades matched up; to this day, I still have friends who were adopted from foreign countries by amazing families who had fantastic childhoods but never really felt like they fit in.<br />
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So starting now, with that Cheerios ad and that tumblr site, I hope things change. I hope that shows like Modern Family and the New Normal and Glee won't have to preach acceptance because people already get it. I'm part of the generation that grew up with a token black friend (or Asian or Hispanic), and now marries who we want despite cultural expectations, and will have kids in kindergarten classes with classmates more colorful than the rainbow. I am proud to be one of the 15%... and growing.<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
Kelsey</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-43970865389265928912013-07-14T18:52:00.000-07:002013-07-15T21:56:30.912-07:00Hello Kitty WinsSo I swung by Sephora the other day, like you do, and could not resist these super cute <a href="http://www.sephora.com/pretty-nail-set-P377436?skuId=1467323" target="_blank">Hello Kitty nail stickers</a>! With all the painting done, the appliances installed and the juice cleanse over with (more on that later), I thought it was time for some mani action. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1075854_10102044448445774_1149719491_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1075854_10102044448445774_1149719491_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/207189/" target="_blank">Julep</a> Color: Teri</td></tr>
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I seriously can't stop looking at my nails! What do you think?<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
KelseyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-55084737455075379472013-07-02T20:32:00.001-07:002013-07-15T21:46:41.330-07:00Pinned It & Did It! Patriotic Nails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That title is pretty self explanatory, right? I searched Pinterest for "patriotic nails" and found some real jems (along with some duds), but here are some of my faves:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/fc/1b/77/fc1b777f839ff3a78a10fe6da47acc27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/fc/1b/77/fc1b777f839ff3a78a10fe6da47acc27.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one would take so much time, but I like the nautical theme (<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/49117452159039200" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/736x/e6/ec/49/e6ec4911b7c532a425703c72bf90f76e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/736x/e6/ec/49/e6ec4911b7c532a425703c72bf90f76e.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this Simple Red, White & Blue Mani (<a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/best-patriotic-nail-art-slideshow/sparkle-spangled-banner-photo-2640129-171000599.html" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/originals/d8/b1/14/d8b114211f173d1c3e5807fdda05bd9e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 13px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/originals/d8/b1/14/d8b114211f173d1c3e5807fdda05bd9e.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a sucker for some chevron action! (<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/13792342582050433" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhdPYIAxtPCim5rF5eQpdXYyiLqDAlld91aPY-UK7hX3uOX2pvDqJEI5YCMN1HOfQzXoyVk8m_vt8f4tfpyWn2B99jCbhP4tg10SM0TqZC2OItbJGIMRynXiWGfm0N6ZF9ujmLSSMmQM/s640/patriotic+nails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhdPYIAxtPCim5rF5eQpdXYyiLqDAlld91aPY-UK7hX3uOX2pvDqJEI5YCMN1HOfQzXoyVk8m_vt8f4tfpyWn2B99jCbhP4tg10SM0TqZC2OItbJGIMRynXiWGfm0N6ZF9ujmLSSMmQM/s640/patriotic+nails.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these patterns (<a href="http://fitcraftystylishandhappy.blogspot.com/2012/06/patriotic-nails.html" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mindheartbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/memorial-day-nail-art-design-ideas-flag-july.jpg?6ab34e" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://mindheartbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/memorial-day-nail-art-design-ideas-flag-july.jpg?6ab34e" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super Patriotic (<a href="http://mindheartbeauty.com/2013/05/memorial-day-nail-art-ideas/" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blogs.babble.com/family-style/files/2012/07/01-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://blogs.babble.com/family-style/files/2012/07/01-1.png" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of my faves - delicate patterns (<a href="http://www.babble.com/home/10-patriotic-nails-for-the-fourth-of-july/?cmp=SMC%7Cbbl%7Csoc%7CFB%7CBabbleHome%7CInHouse%7C062013%7C10PatrioticNails%7CPhoto%7CfamM%7CSocial" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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So with a ton of pinspiration under my belt, I was ready to get down to business with my nail polishes. But let's be honest here, I am not that talented; so I needed something patriotic but easy but classy but nice but so many things... then I stumbled on this baby:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/736x/00/7f/db/007fdbbe8237ca62ace70bbafd66a17c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/736x/00/7f/db/007fdbbe8237ca62ace70bbafd66a17c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the Inspiration (<a href="http://www.pinkurock.com/2012/06/nail-day_27.html" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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With my Julep Jackie (Red) as the primary polish and a couple Avon shades, here's what I came up with:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5i_iAklIi5gyFdkbEjhnOJkKv0b8X58yVEe-XzesmoBFJFCHyYs4ZiPoBqWg0Sm8hAflmGMiCZ_c0ghYfS9QgVSsN0tFhUCmVFObaiz_B9DtbF1paDAHyGxLOOmtESbdryqd78t1N-Qe6/s640/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5i_iAklIi5gyFdkbEjhnOJkKv0b8X58yVEe-XzesmoBFJFCHyYs4ZiPoBqWg0Sm8hAflmGMiCZ_c0ghYfS9QgVSsN0tFhUCmVFObaiz_B9DtbF1paDAHyGxLOOmtESbdryqd78t1N-Qe6/s400/image.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Mine!</td></tr>
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Did I totally nail it? Nope... but the inspiration photo was done by a professional, not by a gal on her couch watching Master Chef for hours. Are you going to do anything special with your mani to celebrate Independence Day? Share pics below!<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
Kelsey</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-70996328728990374642013-04-11T19:45:00.001-07:002013-04-13T21:25:33.704-07:00One of Our Firsts<br />
For this Throwback Thursday, I thought I'd share the very first photo of the Baconator and me from just over SEVEN years ago. We were out celebrating my best friend's 21st birthday (thus the weird flower/vase situation), and it was a pretty big moment. This is the first time that he was meeting her and as my best friend, her approval was incredibly important. So without further ado, here's the photo:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBSpsGGWdnwyBV_Q9eJy3Vw9PB-NnmNe5JZWuueP2vdZmK5EFi8rwq3tuB0UjjI0LbTH6ZjMTtwqD4V7GxiNnOnfKOywiLJk6kDrIWVJ-SAalCmyOLobVpDJAdLTD5UbLdEyAwe-PzUxh/s1600/Lainey,+Dave+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBSpsGGWdnwyBV_Q9eJy3Vw9PB-NnmNe5JZWuueP2vdZmK5EFi8rwq3tuB0UjjI0LbTH6ZjMTtwqD4V7GxiNnOnfKOywiLJk6kDrIWVJ-SAalCmyOLobVpDJAdLTD5UbLdEyAwe-PzUxh/s640/Lainey,+Dave+and+me.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Clearly we all hit it off, since here we are again, 3 months later, happy as clams!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgroaey7aRV3BPfSyrWC3zEU74zs-wffAcwE3WtdVDLx7Ni6Tqr-yPvpAm28fU18QCepLyyQKgVPfpUpDb-4TTmc1hCx_wy24VH0XQRg4m1sIEr_TqA4_byyp2dv8Jh-uNOCgbDkXp_IgY/s1600/long+islands,+beer+and+friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgroaey7aRV3BPfSyrWC3zEU74zs-wffAcwE3WtdVDLx7Ni6Tqr-yPvpAm28fU18QCepLyyQKgVPfpUpDb-4TTmc1hCx_wy24VH0XQRg4m1sIEr_TqA4_byyp2dv8Jh-uNOCgbDkXp_IgY/s640/long+islands,+beer+and+friends.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And of course... Lainey was maid of honor at our wedding!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTNacW90p_dp_pJAloGQ7kjvrAzTmzvHmUjIGyikzi_7wKOXDYtocRNWcnJK-saWPiWt5jDkTGIu5sxpiRCUVUI2vZApezEeTyaLYUscnGa2wiNphz01KAvZ_2xRYqjoQsqESo2_ZfGhn/s1600/20110910-IMG_3590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTNacW90p_dp_pJAloGQ7kjvrAzTmzvHmUjIGyikzi_7wKOXDYtocRNWcnJK-saWPiWt5jDkTGIu5sxpiRCUVUI2vZApezEeTyaLYUscnGa2wiNphz01KAvZ_2xRYqjoQsqESo2_ZfGhn/s640/20110910-IMG_3590.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Happy Throwback Thursday, folks!<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
Kelsey<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-11839476563280026472013-04-04T19:41:00.001-07:002013-04-04T19:43:27.447-07:00It's True at 28, Too!Guys, I LOVE Taylor Swift's song "22." Like, if I could start every morning of my life with this song, my life would be so much better. In fact, it's scientifically proven based on the last week of wonderfulness.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AgFeZr5ptV8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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But you know what I've come to love almost as much? The parody that Fuse came out with this week - it's the BOMB. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/YSnDJ7exSO0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I know, I know. You can't stop playing them both over and over... like a magical round. No? That's just me? Moving on...</div>
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OMG - My day started this way, too! "It feels like one of days... when I'll just go to work. It feels like one of those days... I'll start a diet - maybe Weight Watchers. I've heard. Good things." </div>
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And this was us tonight - Beef Broccoli and Chinese Lo Mein included... "I'm not going out, I've got this Chinese food! Then I'll just go to bed because it's 8 o'clock and I am 32!"</div>
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Do you more than relate to any of these new lyrics?</div>
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Love and Bacon,</div>
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Kelsey</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-358360821006340432013-04-02T20:08:00.002-07:002013-04-02T20:08:52.837-07:00Easter Candy = KryptoniteFolks, I don't really have anything to write about tonight, so I thought I'd just admit for the world that I've been totally derailed by Easter candy. This is what happens when I am given some unsupervised time in CVS while waiting for a bus and all the Easter stuff is 50% off. Eggs are Paleo; Dark Chocolate is Paleo(ish); Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Peeps are not Paleo.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blisstree.com/files/2010/03/chocolate-peeps-prnphotos090000-JUST-BORN-INC.-CHOC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://www.blisstree.com/files/2010/03/chocolate-peeps-prnphotos090000-JUST-BORN-INC.-CHOC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Good news is that the weekend is coming and BACON is totally Paleo friendly!<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
Kelsey<br />
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PS. I totally warned you that there were boring bits ahead.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-76114051793529611852013-04-01T19:41:00.001-07:002013-04-02T20:10:09.912-07:00Building My Bucket ListWe were watching <i>Parks and Rec</i> tonight (shocking) and the crew mentioned bucket lists. Andy had some awesome things on his list like going to the Grand Canyon and being an action star and making the best grilled cheese in the world. Watching all that, I realized that I have never really written down my bucket list items.<br />
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<u>Here's what I've gotten so far</u></div>
Visit Antarctica<br />
Run a Marathon<br />
Swim with Whales<br />
Drink French Wine in France<br />
Spoon a Baby Tiger<br />
Go to Lollapalooza<br />
Cliff Jump (May or may not get vetoed by the Baconator)<br />
Swim Under a Waterfall<br />
Become Fluent in Two Languages<br />
Ride a Motorcycle Solo<br />
Take a Private Jet Ride<br />
Spend a Summer Getting Really Tan<br />
Throw a Dart at a Map and Travel Wherever it Lands<br />
Make a Perfect Souffle<br />
Climb Machu Picchu<br />
Go Fishing in Alaska<br />
Have a beautiful and happy family<br />
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What's on your bucket list?<br />
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Love and Bacon,<br />
Kelsey<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823845547115290551.post-36512743155784405492013-03-31T18:39:00.001-07:002013-03-31T18:40:32.878-07:00Happy Easter!Firstly, Happy Easter!! We didn't do church or anything, but we did have friends over and do a ham and the whole thing. We've been trying to do paleo for the last couple weeks, so we made sure that everything we were eating today fit the bill. Since we needed sides, I clearly went directly to Pinterest to figure it out and found pastel deviled eggs - perfect for Easter!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/jbDZEMiWxigZiD-N4GvebHuUBOG7cZiuId4MsC888ZpBn-cDAkqGDcvephlEZMAJLbEUaq9Bn6_DqnadDTqqHPAYBQs=s450-c" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/jbDZEMiWxigZiD-N4GvebHuUBOG7cZiuId4MsC888ZpBn-cDAkqGDcvephlEZMAJLbEUaq9Bn6_DqnadDTqqHPAYBQs=s450-c" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/163959242656563789" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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The recipe is pretty straight forward, and to be honest, I didn't follow the filling at all as I've been making my mom's version since college.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHCSwh2bHPx_53w5Fr7m-iHMm0Mk8zJ5SuVMf_PWuYlsxSd_6suU7ZeyaHUgO2iKT5rpihCbdkM2lMHcLqwR06ZWkzNR5mX6QhjdIqMJBrtcxdlSkOYup_tfXrLmLIlT33b_K1jURImFI/s640/blogger-image-1524975471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHCSwh2bHPx_53w5Fr7m-iHMm0Mk8zJ5SuVMf_PWuYlsxSd_6suU7ZeyaHUgO2iKT5rpihCbdkM2lMHcLqwR06ZWkzNR5mX6QhjdIqMJBrtcxdlSkOYup_tfXrLmLIlT33b_K1jURImFI/s640/blogger-image-1524975471.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">So firstly, I boiled eggs. Once they had cooled, I halved them and put the yolks in a gallon bag.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUvTl61KsetsdFiRBmSjOGTpHoU3EqeE8BBFHk47tnAnOAH2h5_9sVov0TnWoqFZy_2NgY8yG9gqwacbg-PYvXM1pLAtT3C2x5yW8m2sBJeIIndkYRZqio4nrX_fWpESfgnk_ppmeg9qJ/s640/blogger-image-1428101843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUvTl61KsetsdFiRBmSjOGTpHoU3EqeE8BBFHk47tnAnOAH2h5_9sVov0TnWoqFZy_2NgY8yG9gqwacbg-PYvXM1pLAtT3C2x5yW8m2sBJeIIndkYRZqio4nrX_fWpESfgnk_ppmeg9qJ/s640/blogger-image-1428101843.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">After spending more time than I'd like to admit deciding which colors I wanted, I put the halves in a cup of cold water with a few drops of food coloring and a capful of white vinegar and let them sit for 45 minutes. </span></td></tr>
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While these bad boys marinated in the dye, I set out making the filling. It's pretty easy actually, especially now that I've been using the zip top bag method. Take all the yolks and put them in the bag, add about 1/2 cup mayo (we used <a href="http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-mayonnaise/" target="_blank">homemade paleo mayo</a>), add 1/4 cup finely chopped onion, add 1/8 cup finely chopped pickles (about 1-2 pickle spears), 2-3 tablespoons yellow mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Then seal the bag and mash the heck out of it!! Once the filling is sufficiently mashed and you've seasoned to your liking, snip off the corner and BOOM - instant pastry bag perfect for filling the little yolks! (Thank you Pinterest for that tip! No pun intended...)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBP6HT4IUO1Kqud4_LwYtrWE6c1aNE2p3mDC5ppQHAUe9pUhMVewUwnQ5yj3ZUhbEIPi5v9OBfk0_2EMW5DpTm-DsObZu66JQ38YT-UAfdDcll2ObiNEiBiBrD28qSZGjNNH1VergvGne/s640/blogger-image--910944589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBP6HT4IUO1Kqud4_LwYtrWE6c1aNE2p3mDC5ppQHAUe9pUhMVewUwnQ5yj3ZUhbEIPi5v9OBfk0_2EMW5DpTm-DsObZu66JQ38YT-UAfdDcll2ObiNEiBiBrD28qSZGjNNH1VergvGne/s640/blogger-image--910944589.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once they got to the color I wanted, I set them out on some paper towels to dry off a bit </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b5pDHk5gBfvLDeKqzPm0vt3GCGho3zaxNlsCuD_3f377AYw8du8rc3aD7RF_zcij0kGFdFobwzsY_EQciO0gtnKlCsVgZIFfLUh-KSJcVxyiSUY_No9F9yf2-1UNZcQga5OyUM1pF7c4/s640/blogger-image--1806294802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b5pDHk5gBfvLDeKqzPm0vt3GCGho3zaxNlsCuD_3f377AYw8du8rc3aD7RF_zcij0kGFdFobwzsY_EQciO0gtnKlCsVgZIFfLUh-KSJcVxyiSUY_No9F9yf2-1UNZcQga5OyUM1pF7c4/s640/blogger-image--1806294802.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta Da! Easter Deviled Eggs!</td></tr>
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What did you do for Easter? Any Pinspirational Projects?</div>
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Love and Bacon,</div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
Kelsey</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1