Between Hard Rock, the Heinz promo, and life in general, I’ve been running around like crazy. I was so exhausted one night, that when I got called into work, I literally got off the phone and just cried. It ended up being a good night at work but I just wanted my bed. I’ve been able to regroup a little and have a lot planned for the next week or so. Between dinner plans, work dates with the boy, flea market hunting for a desk, and finally taking my new tripod out for some shots, it’s already shaping up to be another busy week. I’ve gotten a good ten hours of sleep the past few nights so hopefully no more crying for a bit. I’ll leave you with a few instagram shots I was able to snag while running around. If you’re on instagram or twitter, follow me (username: kimblygrace)!

Drew and I made a delicious BBQ, pineapple, turkey bacon, onion, corn salsa, and smoked gouda pizza. We made the dough from scratch. It was so easy and so good. 

This is his cat Slayer… I call him Slay Slay for short. Don’t let this picture fool you, he’s a little menace.

This was the last of the ketchup from the Heinz promo I did. My arm muscles doubled in size… not really, but they should have. It was a ridiculous amount of ketchup.

Degrassi Party that I worked for Hard Rock. I watched that show back when Drake was Jimmy and he was in a wheelchair. No idea who the new kids are but I ate more candy, popcorn, and soft pretzels than I thought I could. Don’t judge me.

Speaking of gluttony, my manager gave me two boxes of Samoas. Don’t you dare call them caramel delights to my face or you’ll get an earful of “back in my day, when I was a girl scout” and no one wants to go through that. 

And finally, a picture from Valentine’s day with my boy. I made him blueberry pancakes with heart shaped fruit. I got the idea from another blog but I can’t remember which one. We spent the day together and then he took me out to dinner at Duke’s which is right off the beach in Malibu. It was perfect. 

I’m hoping to get some actual outfit posts and maybe the pizza recipe up this week. I should have a little more free time than the past few. Until then, I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Hearts,
Kimberly Grace 

Found this oldie but goodie on Keiko’s facebook. I miss wearing her Postlapsaria pretties. 

Ketchup promo - week two. I get the most random jobs sometimes. If you’re in the LA area, you might have some free ketchup coming your way!

If this ever posts, it’ll be a miracle. My internet…. well, my neighbor’s internet (shh)… has been in and out all day. These are the last pictures from the Nashville trip. Ya know, from back in November. Haha. Ughh. I just got them from Keiko. But I have all my China pictures to go through and put up, so I figured it’s better than nothing. There are so many things I need to get done and I just get overwhelmed and shut down. I have to make a huge effort to not let my lists and errands drown me. I read somewhere that you need to pick 5 things from a list and work on just those in one day. I was told the other day to just work on the two major ones. I wish it was that simple. I need to set up a work space in my room for working on the necklaces and headbands. I found a desk on Craigslist that I wanted. It needs paint and new knobs but the DIY wheels started rolling and my little heart got set on it. The woman said she has another potential buyer and that she’d let me know. So annoying. Just sell me the desk. 

I’m going to attempt to pull myself away from the internet and get to Target. It’s just so hard with videos like this circulating. Pretty sure I’d react this way to several different animals. Holy awesome. 

Enjoy!

Hearts,
Kimberly Grace

Outfit Details:
Sweater - Corey Lynn Calter (borrowed from Keiko)
Jacket - Forever 21
Lengthening Rays skirt - Anthropologie
Mikaela bag - c/o Melie Bianco
Romance boots - c/o Seychelles
Rings - Simple Twist, TJ Maxx, gift from Keiko

I’ve been putting off this post because I couldn’t get through it at first. I got home from China on the 18th and my dad called me to let me know that they had to put Otis down. I was a mess and just needed some time to deal with it on my own. Anyone that knew Otis or even just heard my family talk about him knows how much love we all had in our hearts for him. The world just seems a little less bright now that he’s gone. I’ve been thinking of all the memories I have of him though and it helps so much. 

I remember going to pick him up over 14 years ago. He was the tiny little runt of the litter. We brought him home and introduced him to our bunny, Buster. He was smaller than our little bunny and he kept running into the mirrors at the front of the house because he thought it was another pug. His tongue used to stick out because it was too big for his head. I remember bringing him to Larry’s ice cream and sharing my cotton candy cone with him. He used to do this howl when I’d come home. I’d throw my arms up in the arm and howl and then he’d howl right back. We’d go back and forth for a couple of minutes before I’d move the gate and start playing with him. He used to try to eat my scrunchies when I was in middle school. He was successful in swallowing a couple of socks. We bought him a bunch of stuffed animals but he only had eyes for his hedgehog toy. We were probably up to hedgehog the 20th or something. He’d bite hedgehog’s nose, throw him around, and then sit and groom/lick him. My dad would sit at home with him and they’d share snacks. Otis was always right there if you were getting something out of the fridge. He used to do this crazy running back and forth thing between the two couches in the living room. He also loved to lick the leather. My mom hated when he’d do that. When we had to give him a bath, it was the saddest thing ever because his little cinnabon tail would unwind and go completely straight down. If I was in my room doing anything, he would always come in and lay down to keep me company. He loved walking all over everything though. There’d be a ton of floor space but he had to walk right on whatever you were trying to clean, fix, or put together. He would circle around on the floor before laying down or around the coffee table before jumping up to the couch. My dad joked that he was as crazy and OCD as the rest of my family. When he got a little older and was hesitant to jump, I started “Otie -up-up”. I’d pat the couch and say it and when he was done with his coffee table circles, he’d put his front paws up and I’d lift him up the rest of the way. He was quite the TV critic. Always barking at random points in the shows. He’d always scratch our legs at the dinner table and would go around to all four of us to get fed. It’s amazing that he never went over 30 pounds the way my dad fed him. I loved getting down on the floor with him and chasing him around the living room. My dad always called me Otis’ number one playmate. We loved trying to put clothes on him. He ran in circles until his devil costume fell off on Halloween one year. We sort of gave up after that. But he looked super handsome in his little green shirt that my mom bought him for when it was cold. When he was going blind and needed surgery, my parents spent a lot of money to make sure he’d be able to see. My dad said he would never let my sister or I go blind, so why should his son be any different. We gave him the best life we could and he was the biggest blessing we had. We were all so lucky to have each other. 

The morning I left Florida to come back to LA this past December, I ran into my parent’s room to say goodbye to Otis. Kyla and I woke him up since we had to leave so early. I took his face in both of my hands and I told him how I loved him so much. That he had no idea how much. Then I kissed his little mouth and gave him a little scratch behind the ears. He loved those so much. It feels like a part of me is missing but I have such amazing memories that will stay with me always. Otis will forever be in my heart. 

Jessica and Keiko have been in town the past few days. Keiko is here for the People’s Choice Awards and Jessica just came to hang out a few days before our China trip. I still can’t believe we’re going. It will be about 20 degrees, give or take, in Beijing, but I’ve packed every last one of my sweaters. I think everyone else is more worried than we are. Almost every trip of ours has been in the winter. We’re seasoned veterans at this whole bundling up thing. Hopefully we won’t be mistaken for prostitutes this time… oh, Vienna.

Hearts,
Kimberly Grace 

Outfit Details:
Jeggings - BDG
Shirt - Dee & Ray
Studded halter - H & M
Road to Redemption heels - Seychelles
Neon pink Cambridge Satchel - Borrowed from Keiko
Rings - TJ Maxx and gifts from Keiko

About to board the plane for my China trip. Pandas, dumplings, and a fairly large wall are in my near future. I can’t wait to have my passport completely full from all my travels. Wish me a safe trip!

Hearts, Kimberly Grace

I was really worried about going home this year for Christmas. I mean, I was extremely excited to see my parents and Otis, but not sure how I would handle the new living situation. My parents sold the house I had lived in since I was 12 and bought a condo in a neighboring town. I’m pretty sensitive and sentimental, so I was just waiting to see how I handled the change. 

The second I walked through the door and saw Otis, it felt like I was home. A lot of the same pictures still hung on the walls. My world view that I must of drawn when I was 6 (Pony was a continent to give you an idea) as well as all my baby and graduation pictures. My dad’s records and Cd’s were all in their places on the bookshelves. My parents were both there with arms wide open, excited for me to be home. 

My best friends and friends of the family all kept asking how I liked the new place. My answer was always the same: “I love it. It feels like home.”

Hearts,
Kimberly Grace 

Outfit Details:
Vintage dress - Guvnor’s Vintage
Carriage heels - Seychelles
Rings - Gift from Keiko and TJ Maxx 
Earrings - Warped Tour vendor 

This was my midnight view last night from Hard Rock. Having to work was a small price to pay for getting to be home for Christmas. Even with the little hiccups throughout the night.

Dear 2012,
2011 was pretty good to me. Let’s make this year even better.
Hearts,
Kimberly Grace

Otis and I wish you all a very merry Christmas!