kapachino

Category: personal

  • Alphabetically Me

    Age: 29

    Bed size: King, a Tempur-Pedic, and probably my favorite thing that we own.

    Chore you hate: Cleaning the shower & tub. I hate bending over and scrubbing!

    Dogs: You know it! Oliver, Eddie, and Cleo. Sadly, Oliver and Cleo are currently separated.

    Those were the days, when they all got along…

    Essential start to your day: A hot shower. It wakes me up and gets me moving.

    Favorite color: Soft – but not pastel – blues and greens.

    Gold or silver: Usually silver, but lately I’ve discovered a taste for delicate gold jewelry.

    From Jeneri Jewelry's Etsy, one of my favorites!

    Height: 5’4″

    Instruments you play: I played clarinet for many, many years and I probably still could, although not nearly as well anymore. I sing better than anything else.

    Job title: Registered nurse.

    Kids: Expecting a girl in July!

    Live: Suburbs of Houston, Texas.

    Movie recently watched: My husband rented The Tourist for me last weekend because he knows I love Johnny Depp. How sweet of him to indulge my celebrity crushes, right?

    I give it 3 stars. Worth picking up at Redbox!

    Night time habits: Putting on a fresh coat of lip balm.

    Overnight hospital stays: I stayed with my husband lots of nights when he got his hips replaced, and I spent a night in observation recently for suspected appendicitis.

    Pet peeve: When people drive recklessly fast, or incredibly loud engines.

    Quote from a movie/show: “Oh, you’re right. And when you’re right, you’re right. And you? You’re always right!” —Spaceballs

    Righty or Lefty: Righty!

    Siblings: I love my brothers! They are way cooler than I am.

    David, 27
    Barry, 25

    Pictures taken from CultureMap Houston, where they write a weekly sports column.

    Time you wake up: On work days 5 a.m. and on weekends around 8 a.m.

    Underwear: My favorites are from GapBody.

    Vegetables you dislike: Many, but especially anything in the squash family or cooked spinach.

    What makes you run late: Not being able to drag myself out of bed at the right time. I’m a morning person, but 5 a.m. is just too early.

    X-rays you’ve had: Routine teeth x-rays, my jaw for TMJ, and my spine for migraines .

    Yummy food you make: Enchilada casserole is probably my best dish. I never claimed to be a sophisticated cook. :)

    Zoo animal favorite: I love seeing the elephants and giraffes because they seem so exotic, but can you really beat Toby the red panda for cuteness?

    Aww! Love the Houston Zoo.

  • Friday Things: Belated

    First things first: Congratulations to my brother David and his girlfriend Maggie on their engagement! They made it official on Friday, and I couldn’t be happier. Maggie and I have a lot in common and I’m so happy to have another girl in the family. Add to that the fact that David always said he’d never get married, and it’s just good news all around! Way to tame him, Maggie. ;)

    ***

    I’ve installed Google Friend Connect on my blog, and I’d love it if you click through and become a follower. I only have five right now including myself, and that’s just sad. :)

    Also, coming up in the near future I’ll be launching an ancillary blog dedicated to books, reading, and other literary thoughts. Reading has always been my primary hobby and lately I’ve been getting into the whole book blogging culture. I want this space to stay dedicated to personal stuff and I don’t want to bore those of you who aren’t as interested in books, but I do want to explore that area of my life in more depth. I’m really excited about how it’s coming together, and I hope some of you will check it out when it’s ready!

    ***

    Ever since the other weekend when I treated myself to a Starbucks mocha frappuccino I’ve been craving them. What I don’t crave is the $5 price tag, so I decided to learn how to make them myself. I had no idea it would be so easy. I’ve been using this guide from Savory Sweet Life except that I adjust it to taste which usually means extra chocolate syrup!

    ***

    I bought new heels recently for a wedding, and this is something to be recorded because one of my 101 goals is to buy three new pairs.

    They are the perfect height, are actually extremely comfortable (even pregnant – but notice the tiny amount of extra room since I know my feet will grow), and I love the peep toe and the cutout at the heel. I chose a beige/nude color because they’ll go with lots of things. The brand is LifeStride and I got them at Famous Footwear.

    ***

    Today is the day that I finally break down and buy some more clothes. I’m not going for full-on maternity stuff, just some regular t-shirts, tank tops, sundresses, and yoga pants that I’ll be able to wear even when I’m not pregnant.

    That’s it for now! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. :)

  • Question of the Week: My iPhone

    Welcome to the question of the week, where I put up a poll, hopefully on Monday, about any random thing, and you answer! Sound good?

    Okay, so today I need advice about a fairly trivial matter. I’ve been thinking about what to do about my iPhone, and I just can’t make a decision. I have a 3G which is over 2 years old that is running the new software and is therefore veeerrrrryyyyy slllloooooowwww. It is driving me crazy. I am due for an upgrade so I don’t have to pay that fee, and I don’t care about signing a new 2-year contract.

    However, we are trying really hard to save money. I’d love to upgrade to the iPhone 4, but as of right now that would still cost me $199 and I can’t justify spending that much when my current phone still works. My other options are to upgrade to a refurbished 3GS for $19 or a new 3GS for $49. BUT. What if Apple releases a new iPhone version in June or July, and then the iPhone 4 is significantly cheaper? Should I wait and see? I don’t know!

    iPhone users and lovers, what would you do? Let me know by answering in the poll below, which will close in a week. Any other ideas or opinions, please leave in the comments. :)

    [polldaddy poll=4755154]

    P.S. I’ve considered giving up my iPhone altogether to save money, but it has become an integral part of my life. I also don’t want another type of smart phone!

    Edited to add: The results were overwhelmingly in favor of me waiting for the next generation of iPhones to come out! So I’m working on my patience and in the meantime I’m going to wipe my phone clean and start again to see if that will help it run faster.

  • Ten On Tuesday: Names

    This week’s questions, hosted by Chelsea as always, are especially apt for me since I’m in the process of trying to choose a name for my daughter. I couldn’t resist answering them!

    1. How did your parents decide on your name?
    The way I remember it, they had a waitress at Bennigan’s named Kathleen and liked it. Fitting for an Irish restaurant. As for my middle name, Alexandra, it is after my grandfather who’s middle name is Alexander.

    2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny?
    Nope! I used to be KACS (my mom’s maiden name was one of my middle names) and now I’m KAF.

    3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name?
    I took my middle name from childhood because I just really like it and thought it sounded best. I also wanted to symbolically give myself completely to my husband even with my name.

    4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of same origin, etc.)
    I don’t think so. The only thing we might do is go with all names with family significance.

    5. Did you decide on baby names as a child? Did you stick to them or change your mind?
    Definitely not as a child, but I had some names I liked starting in high school. I still like those names, but not as much as I used to.

    6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?
    There are a ton of Davids in my family including my uncle and brother (and husband). My dad’s name is Christopher Barry and my other brother’s name is Barry Christopher. My middle name is for my grandfather. My mom’s name is Paulina because her dad was Paul and her mom was Ina. There are probably more that I’m forgetting too!

    7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?
    I probably wouldn’t choose a name based on meaning but when I do like to know what names mean and it makes them that more special. Kathleen means “pure” and I have always treasured that.

    8. Do you name pets with human names or with pet names?
    Ours all have human names: Eddie, Cleo, and Oliver.

    9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?
    Yeah, I mean I wouldn’t name my children any of my ex-boyfriends’ names for one. I think it’s unavoidable.

    10. What are some of your favorite names? Why?
    I’m not going to share my absolute favorites since we’re in the process of choosing a name for our baby, but in general I like classic and Biblical names, nothing too unique or trendy.

  • Currently In March

    I love March, because it means spring is approaching! Here we have been enjoying quite a nice false spring, and I hope it sticks around.

    Current Book(s): I’ve had Outlander by Diana Gabaldan for quite some time, and I picked it up a couple of weeks ago. After a slow start I am now really into it. I tried to put it aside the other day to start reading my book club book, Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall, but I couldn’t quite do it. As a compromise I’m bringing the book club book on the bus with me (which is where I do the bulk of my reading) and I read Outlander at night before bed.

    Current Playlist: I got an iPod/iPhone dock for my birthday last month, so I pulled out my old iPod Nano that I haven’t used in a couple of years. I put it on shuffle and have been enjoying some of my old favorites such as “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, “More Than A Feeling” by Boston, and “Shameless” by Garth Brooks.

    Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I just have this huge appetite that is so hard to reign in, so a lot of times I don’t even try. Like this weekend at my brother-in-law’s birthday dinner I had fruit, crackers and cheese, a decent helping of beef stroganoff, a piece of French bread and butter, green beans, a chocolate chip cookie, and a bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup. I’m still full.

    Current Color: Pink for flowers and little girls. :)

    [source]

    Current Drink: Other than trying to drink as much water as possible, I have a glass of V8 Fusion every morning and a glass of some kind of juice (lately cran-apple) at night.

    Current Food: Um, anything and everything?

    Current Favorite Show: David and I decided to watch American Idol this season. I haven’t watched it in a few years, but I’m quite enjoying it. Steven Tyler annoys me sometimes, but I love Jennifer Lopez and there are a few contestants that I really enjoy. Plus, I would watch it just to enjoy the recaps by Paul F. Tompkins on Vulture. Hilarious.

    Current Wishlist: More time! I’m on a huge reading kick right now and there are a ton of books that I want to get to, but I feel like soon I need to start doing my birthing/baby reading as well.

    Current Needs: I could really use some more yoga pants and sundresses. We’ve got to figure out our daycare situation soon, as that has changed for us recently. And still, a home for Oliver.

    Current Triumphs: I learned how to change the font on my blog! My brother designed my website on a custom theme, so most things aren’t too simple to change. He teaches me in bits and pieces, so maybe one day I’ll become a master. :)

    Current Bane(s) of my Existence: I see a nutritionist, and she has me taking what seems like ALL THE PILLS IN THE WORLD. I am not kidding you, but I take close to thirty pills every night, and several more every morning. I once had a patient who I had to practically wrestle with to get to take his meds, and now I understand his point of view. My husband sometimes has to force me.

    Current Celebrity Crush: Listen, I don’t have much variety in my celebrity crushes. They basically come down to Robert Downey, Jr., Johnny Depp, and Derek Webb. Oh! And Hugh Laurie, but I haven’t watched House since the third season so I haven’t thought about him as much lately. The strongest of the crushes lately has been RDJ because I saw him at the Oscars and he looked hot. Also, there is a new Sherlock Holmes film coming out soon which I adored him in. If I get a new crush I will be sure to tell you.

    RDJ at the Oscars – [source]

    Current Blessing(s): I have a healthy baby girl growing inside of me. I can’t tell you what a feeling it is to know that, after years of trying to get pregnant, losing my first pregnancy, and 20 weeks of nightmares of miscarriage and stillbirth. I know the worry won’t stop, but so far everything is good and I’m so happy.

    Current Outfit: I’m holding out on maternity clothes for as long as possible. Today I’m in scrubs, but yesterday I wore a long, black, flowy top from H&M that I bought in New York. It was perfect to cover up the fact that my jeans weren’t buttoned OR zipped half the time.

    Current Excitement: I just ordered a bunch of new books from Paperbackswap and Bookmooch, and most of them have come in the mail. I gave up on trying to read all the books I own before obtaining more because I realized it’s just never going to happen. I will always accumulate books. It’s my thing. I’m also going to change how I post my book reviews because I’ve been reading a lot of book blogs and now I know the kind of format that I like.

    Current Link: I just got started on Pinterest and even though I’ve only pinned one thing so far, I can tell it’s going to be an amazing tool for inspiration. Add me if you’re on it too!

    My first pin! – [source]

    Happy March!