just call me grace.

boy oh boy, was i ever the graceful one today at work. this afternoon i received a call from a texas representative's office. i work for an executive in a state agency and we interact with and talk to legislator's offices pretty frequently. this particular phone call was in regards to a constituent's concern about this or that, blah, blah, blah. i was half-listening, doing a decent enough job of following the story when all of a sudden i blurted out: "well dang! i just totally had a brain fart." silence on the other end. i immediately thought, "did i just say BRAIN FART?" who says brain fart? i mean, i understand that it is a relatively common phrase, but i wouldn't think that the most professional people in the professional world go around saying, "dang" and "brain fart." if you think i am overreacting, just say the words, "brain fart" out loud. do it. see??? it's gross! and embarrassing! class-act, that's me.

w-o-w.

my best pal, j, is getting married next summer to my other pal, d. this has given me the perfect excuse to continue to stalk all blogs wedding-related in my effort to help her gather inspiration. ;) one of my fav wedding blogs is 100 Layer Cake. the weddings they feature are so beautiful and filled with handmade touches. the authors focus on all of these little details that make a wedding truly craft-tastical. while conducting "research" for j, i stumbled across this picture with the most beautiful pair of wedding shoes ever. gah! so gorgeous! christian, you get me every time....

in other wedding news, i am super excited about this weekend. not only is it a three-day-weekend, but jader and i will are attending the nuptials of k and e. we'll also get to see big whit and are spending a day with my family at schlitterbahn (the hottest, coolest time in texas) to celebrate my youngest sister's birfday.

shame on me.

gah! i'm starting to believe that i am a horrible blogger!! more than two weeks have flown by and no post. i'm sure that ALL of you have been sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting to desperately find out what has been going on in my world....well, at last! i am back!! i promise to be better.

a couple of weekends ago, i hosted a bridal shower for one of my pals and i have a couple of details to share with you throughout the next couple of days.

in the meantime, here's a glimpse of a gift i made back in july for two of my married buddies who moved to chi-town, illinois.....who are we kidding?? i didn't make it for the dude, i made it for my girlfriend. i think it turned out pretty cute although jader told me the heart-shaped "o" resembled more of a "v" than a heart. whatevs, i still heart it. (get it? heart it? bwahaha).

etsy love: bold & noble.

i love these prints from bold & noble. i'm saving my pennies to purchase one for our abode.

etsy love: sunshine and circles.

i'm diggin' this rug. it's yellow! it's handmade! it's beautimus!

cayenne-pepper chicken with avocado salsa.

i've made this martha recipe a handful of times now and it is just scrumptious. it's also super easy. a warning to all of you gringos out there: it is a bit spicy, but the avocado salsa helps keep the hotness in check. i do realize that my photo isn't the most appetizing thing in the world, but i'm working on taking better food shots. hmmm, maybe next time, i'll have to remember to take the dirty fork out of the frame.....just bare with me, alright? happy eating!

cold hearted.

i had lunch with three of my favorite gals in the whole world: my sisters and my momma. they don't live in town (amel will be an a-town resident here again shortly...) but they come to austin quite a bit to get some essentials done. in other words: shop. the purpose of today's visit was (cue heavenly chorus) IKEA! amelia needed some new, dope furniture to outfit her apt. sounds like the trip was a success. my moms picked this up for me:

it's an ice cube tray!!! i can't wait to find an excuse to use it. i can't wait to see jader's reaction - he's going to LOVE this.....(that's sarcasm, kids. it's a new trend: try it.)

thanks momma!