Time for another round of “Currently” – because life is more than meatballs and sunshine in a bowl!
Time and place: 11:31am, sitting in my office listening to a random bird chirping (!!!!) out my window which is getting me crazy excited for the upper 50s coming our way this week.
Cooking: Spring Rolls. I ordered gluten-free rice paper wrappers on Amazon Prime to make my own spring rolls at home (it’s been ages,) and am overwhelmed with the possibilities! What are your favorite combos to stuff inside spring roll wrappers? Think I’m going to start with a Thai-inspired combo of shrimp, rice noodles, carrots, and mint served with gobs of sesame-peanut dipping sauce.
Anticipating: Besties Bachelorette in NOLA. One of my best girls, Lindsey (center below,) is getting married this spring and her NOLA-based bachelorette party is coming up in just a few weeks. I’m so excited for girl time and to revisit one of my favorite cities in the US. Here we are in our prime – 23, tan, and livin’ it up in Chicago!
Seeking: party dress. I can’t tell you the last time I went anywhere more exciting than the wine bar down the street aka I have nothing to wear in NOLA. Where are your favorite places to find party dresses? I kind of like this one, though I’m 7″ shorter and shades paler than the beauty wearing it! ?
Discovering: tragic old photos. I’ve been going through old Snapfish folders looking for pictures of me and the bride to be and am finding the most hilarious/tragic photos from college and my 20s. Folders titled “Finals are Done!” and “KU Weekend!” are making me laugh out loud while simultaneously die a little inside regarding the amount of eye makeup I used to wear. Note to old self: LESS is MORE!!! ? If you need a good laugh, look at old photos of yourself. Trust me!
Avoiding: my taxes. UGH! I have an accountant who actually “does”/files them, but rounding up all my receipts from the year (keep track of them in real time like an adult, you say? Pssht!) is something I dread more than anything.
Craving: PF Chang’s Singapore Street Noodles. I know it’s probably as inauthentic as you can get, but PF Chang’s has the best Singapore Street Noodles on their gluten-free menu. We don’t love eating at chain restaurants but it’s hard to resist consistent, safe, and delicious gluten-free eats like this dish, which is thin rice noodles tossed with shrimp, chicken and a ridiculous curry sauce. I’m dying to recreate it at home, but curry is something I’ve never tackled before and don’t even know where to start!
Experiencing: snow day fun. Honestly I’m kind of a grinch when it comes to playing in the snow, but this past weekend there was no wind and I committed to getting out there with Lincoln. As always, I never, ever regret getting down on the ground – or in this case, the snow – and playing with my little man. We had so much fun shoveling, sledding, and kicking the powdery stuff – definitely made me feel like a kid again.
Hating: our stove. The main burner on our stove stopped working last month and it’s really cramping my style. Who do you even call to come repair a flat top stove? Sears? This is a serious question.
Loving: Target $1 aisle. Lincoln and I went to Target yesterday to pick up a few odds and ends that I couldn’t bring myself to order on Amazon prime (almond milk and face lotion, to be specific) and their $1 aisle is on POINT right now! Tons of cute crafty stuff, fresh spring decorations, and fun blog props.
Reading: For the Love. You guys, I gave up on The Nightingale. :( I just couldn’t get into it but I’ll try again when I’m on a plane or something and can devote a couple hours to digging in without interruption (I did the same with Elizabeth Street and it ended up being one of my favorite books ever.) In the meantime, I’m just starting For the Love, which a friend recently gave me. Have you read it?
Watching: Vanderpump Rules. I held off watching this show for years before finally caving this winter, and it might be my favorite guilty pleasure show of all time – right up there with Laguna Beach. I can’t tear my eyes away!!
Crushing: Zac Brown Band. My Margaritaville Pandora station has been serving up a ton of Zac Brown alongside my main squeeze Jimmy B and I’m loving it! They’re on the verge of being too country for my tastes (not Kenny Chesney-country, thankfully,) but I can’t get Chicken Fried out of my head (which I realize sounds as country as Kenny’s smash hit “She Thinks My Tractor’s $exy.) ?
Pick a few “Currently” categories and share below!
Amanda Peterson 02.17.2016
Sears fixed the ignition switch on our oven…
Randall 02.17.2016
We tried your Chicken Noodle Soup last night and it was a hit. Thanks, and I thought your eyes looked nice.
Kristin 02.18.2016
Thank you so much, Randall!
Amy Yordt 02.17.2016
Jen Hatmaker is one of my most favorite writers, and your writing totally reminds me of hers! She says her language is “sarcasm” and I resonate with that. When you are done reading For the Love, read her book, 7-An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. I’ve read it at least 7 times and love the humor and truth and challenges and and and…..
Kristin 02.18.2016
100% yes – sarcastic for life!
Noelle H 02.17.2016
Vanderpump Rules. You are my TV show spirit animal. No one in my life watches these shows. My husband would rather eat a bucket of snails than watch reality tv, so I usually watch them in the morning while getting ready for work or hoard them on the DVR and watch on weekend mornings or at night when he’s away on business. It’s just me and a glass of wine (pinot grigio perhaps haha!) and my pup. I do talk to her, but she doesn’t get it. It’s the most addictive trainwreck.
Kristin 02.18.2016
Bahaha – same! He’ll try and hang for a few minutes before giving up and watching basketball. It’s just too much train wreck for him.
Liz 02.17.2016
Try asos or modcloth for party clothes- asos has some really affordable stuff, which is good if you don’t think you will be wearing it a lot.
Lisa @ TechChick Adventures 02.17.2016
Currently: avoiding work and reading blogs. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone! :)
Kristin 02.18.2016
My lips are sealed. :)
Meg @ Pinch of Nutmeg 02.17.2016
I feel like I’m slowly “doing without” more and more things I can’t get on Amazon. Fresh fruit and veggies? Do I really need those?
Kristin 02.18.2016
Bahahaha – seriously where I’m heading! ;)
Denise 02.17.2016
First of all, currently loving the small changes on your site! For the stove, I think years ago Sears had a deal where you paid a certain amount and if the repair went over, you still paid the one amount. And then they cover the appliance for something like 12 or 18 months. Maybe they don’t offer anymore, not sure.
My favorite spring roll is one you posted years ago, I think it was called Power Food Spring roll or something. Those are FABULOUS! I like the dress in the picture, order it! Also, I’m in St. Louis so we will also be getting warm weather this weekend. CAN’T WAIT!!!!
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby 02.17.2016
Watching-Been watching Vikings with my hubby, it’s been interesting! Wondering- about all this fluffy white stuff I keep seeing on blogs Loving- shorter hair, I cut it yesterday!
Cara 02.17.2016
I LOVED “For the Love”!!! it is so funny and spot on!
Leah 02.17.2016
I totally didn’t into The Nightingale either–my whole book club gave it the thumbs down! I have no idea why it’s so popular. If you haven’t read it I highly recommend All the Light We Cannot See–so so worth the hype :)
Kristin 02.18.2016
Agreed – one of my all time favorite books!
Rachel 02.17.2016
Good morning! I really enjoy these posts. I fell in love with food blogs a few years ago, and yours was one of the first ones I found that I thought provided consistently awesome and accessible recipes. But as I’ve developed my own proficiency in the kitchen, I don’t use recipes as much any more… but I love the ritual of pouring over blogs with coffee in the morning. These little snippets into real life are such fun for me, so thanks for sharing! (Also, just an aside: sometimes when I come to your site, I need to click “read the most recent blog post” or something similar (I can’t remember the exact words), and other times, there’s a different layout that lets me see recent posts right away; I like the latter better. :))
Kristin 02.18.2016
Thank you so much for the feedback – so glad you like it! :)
Jenny 02.18.2016
I have been meaning to comment also that I really like being able to see the most recent blog posts right at the top of the page. Also yes, Sears will replace a burner that has gone out on a flat top stove! Or you can buy the part online if you know someone that is particularly handy, that is what I did a few years ago with mine.
Kaelin 02.17.2016
I am obsessed with Rent the Runway for occasion dresses, so many choices!!!
Also, I am currently reading Jen Hatmaker’s 7 for my small group bible study. Eye opening. So many thoughts. I’m interested in this book you mentioned, too.
Rachel 02.17.2016
I second Rent the Runway! I just used it for the first time for my friend’s 30th birthday celebration in NYC and it was perfect. So much nicer than investing in a dress you’ll only wear a couple of times!
katherine 02.17.2016
oh man, broken appliances are THE WORST. Our dryer broke and our fridge ice dispenser thing had the seal break so water was dripping out the front. i had the same thought as you, but i just googled “appliance repairman” and found someone pretty easily.
Amber 02.17.2016
I couldn’t get into the “Nightingale” either. I gave up on it.
Melanie 02.19.2016
I also gave up on reading the Nightingale, but so many people said it was good that I gave it another try with the book on CD. It was easier to listen to than to read.
Donna 02.17.2016
LAGUNA BEACH!!!! Forever & always;)
Ps-love the Currently posts:)
Lorrie 02.17.2016
Check out Jet.com. Love Amazon for having things quickly delivered but this site has some great prices and I have been happy with the service.
Laura ~ Raise Your Garden 02.17.2016
Love the snow photo’s! We got stuck with about 2 feet. Snow day here. Too bad school is already off or we would have gotten a snow day =( And we still have to shovel. Great workout though for those flabby arms.
Martha 02.17.2016
Try Rent the Runway for a party dress!
Paula 02.17.2016
I’m with Martha!! Then you can justify wearing something that might be a little edgier than you’d wear any other time. Plus, the reviews include age, body type, and photos of “actual” (i.e. non-model) people, so you can get a better idea of what a dress would look like on YOU and not someone taller/tanner/differently-proportioned.
Kristin 02.18.2016
Great idea! Just browsed and saw a couple I like. Thanks!
Kelly 02.17.2016
What face lotion? I have been to two stores for my big tub of St Ives & they no longer have it. And there are way too many others to choose from!
Kristin 02.18.2016
I use Neutrogena lotion for sensitive skin!