The Ultimate Summer Top

I've mentioned before that I ADORE Anthropologie's products for the home. If I had the means, I'd furnish my entire house with their stuff. As far as their clothing, It's typically a little "much" for me (price-wise and style-wise). However, I saw this blouse a few months ago when their spring stuff started coming out and fell in love! The Salitre Blouse.

Isn't it awesome? It reminds me of an orange Popsicle! I waited for it to go on sale but, alas, it never did. Then, while in the store, the last one in my size was on the mannequin and I couldn't pass it up. I used a gift card that was given to Mike and I has a house warming gift towards the purchase. (Sorry Greg and Chris! And thank you!!) I know I technically should have used the gift card for somethings towards the home but, I just couldn't resist. Can't wait to wear it!

Kelsey on California #2

Californians LOVE personalized license plates. Based on my calculations it seems as if 4 in every 10 cars has a personalized license plate. Whether it's a giant Cadillac Escalade being driven to Whole Foods by a soccer mom or a Prius driven by an aged hippie, Californians love to "represent" via license plate numbers. Personally, I think it seems a little self absorbed. These days you can personalize anything and everything to represent "you", as if the color of my lap top speaks to my character and personality. Who gives a rip? But I digress.....

Here are a few memorable license plates I found in the Target parking lot yesterday (keep in mind this is ONE moment in ONE parking lot)

1. FUN SLED
2. AT UR CVX-(maybe this person was a gyno?)
3. ZGOLPHR
4. GUTZFAM-(on a minivan of course)
5. NFLGHT-(maybe a pilot)
6. GYM SOC
7. I DESGN-(maybe this person designs stuff??)
8. GANDHAM-????

Have you seen any interesting license plates in your neighborhood? Would you get a personalized license plate?

Weekend Update

My mom and dad came to visit us here in Danville this past weekend. We had a lot of fun dining out, visiting Napa and sprucing up the apartment. Here are a few photo updates of the apartment.


I added another picture to the other wall (not pictured). It's a vintage travel poster advertising Florida via the Pennsylvania Railroad. I picked it up at a local consignment shop. There are a couple of pretty cool furniture consignment stores nearby I'll be frequenting. I also added this serving tray to the window sill. My mom put it there and I thought it looked great so it's staying.

Mike and my dad hung up a curtain rod above our couch....not to hang curtains on but, remember that awesome Moroccan style rug I love? Well, I decided to hang it on the wall. I didn't want to ruin it by keeping it on the floor and walking all over it. I think it looks pretty cool there. Also, I put a bright table runner on our coffee table. (Please disregard our ill-fitting slip cover and the flash of sea foam green near the floor.)

The main project of the weekend was adding potted plants to the balcony. I don't know anything about gardening but my mom has a beautiful patio and a green thumb so she jumped right in and showed me the ropes. We don't get much direct sun on our balcony so we had to get plants that do well in the shade (which my mom picked out). My mom also generously purchased the heavy, colorful, earthenware flower pots. I learned a lot and love how it turned out!





I didn't only put my parents to work this weekend. We had some fun too! We spent a day in Napa Valley and visited a small town called Yountville. We walked around, had lunch, sampled wine and relaxed. See pictures from our trip on my facebook page.

Kelsey on California #1

I'm starting a weekly feature called "Kelsey on California" where I'll share by musings and diagnoses of life on the left coast.

I'm still not sure how I feel about living in California. Not because I don't like it here, but because it's "California". I guess I've always had a pretty stereotypical bias towards this state and the people in it. As if everything here is basically what you see on "Real Housewives of Orange County". I feel very weird and uncomfortable associating myself with "that". I feel awkward saying "I live in California" out loud. I understand that Northern California is VERY different from Southern California, but still, it's California. I mean, there ARE palm trees here. So right away its glamorous to me, which makes me feel the need to wear high heels and dangly earrings even while running to the grocery store, or just running for that matter. I have been wearing makeup every day, but I think that's just because I'm bored since I'm unemployed at the moment (hopefully only for another week), and I did buy a new pair of dangly earrings. But, in general, I don't see myself changing a whole lot. At least I guarantee I wont be dying my hair and getting a boob job.

My China Finally has a Home! (and other fun stories)

For my birthday back in March, when we still lived in PA, Mike said that once we were in California we could buy a china hutch as my gift. And today we finally have a hutch in our dining room (aka breakfast nook).
This is a big deal because I've been "collecting" my china for the last 4 years. My mother decided one afternoon that she would take me to Macy's and I would pick my pattern and she would buy me one place setting to start my collection. Her mother did the same for her and so on, it's a tradition thing. Some people might think it's odd that a single, 23 year old girl would begin a fine bone china collection but a) I like pretty things and b) I wasn't going to stop my mother from buying me something. So, we headed to the Columbia Center Mall in Kennewick, WA to visit the housewares department at Macy's. We browsed the well lit displays of place settings- Vera Wang, Kate Spade, Lenox, Villeroy & Boch, Noritake, Waterford, Wedgewood... all the big names were present. I landed on a setting called Opal Innocence by Lenox. I typicaly go for bold, colorful, ethnic looking pieces and patterns in my home decor. But for my fine china, a potential family heirloom and holiday place setting, it would need to be timeless and seasonless. And because a china collection is such an innately feminine thing, I felt safely compelled to go for a rather girly and frilly patter.

I just loved it and still do!
As I had made my decision a sales lady asked if we needed any help. My mother spoke up "Ah yes please. We'd like one place setting of this Lenox Opal Innocense"
"Of course, no problem, come on over and sit down" we sat at the desk in the middle of the display area which was just across from the bath towels and shower curtains. "And who is the registry under?" said the seasoned and piano teacher-esque sales woman.
"There is no registry. We just want to buy one place setting."
"Oh! So you need to start your registry. Who is the bride?"
"There is no bride, no registry, I just want to buy my daughter this one place setting to get her collection started"
"That's unusual, I've never heard of that. Let me check with my manager"
After a few moments of hushed whispers and confused glances by spinsterly old ladies over by the "every day" china section, our sales woman came back.
"Okay, one place setting for you......So, what are you planning to do with this? Reheat meatloaf on it?"
I think my mother and I just politely laughed at that point.
I walked out of Macy's that day feeling like a young woman of the victorian era fighting for women's sufferage. Really? Was I really bucking the system so much here? It was my mom's idea anyway. Whatever. That lady needs a life.
A year later I was living back in PA where I saw a Macy's Memorial Day Sale ad in the paper. My Opal Innocsense pattern was super mega on sale! I called my mom to let her know "just incase" she was thinking of buying me any more. A day or so later my mom called me back.
"Kels, you're never going to believe this. I went into Macy's to get your china. I asked the sales woman for two place settings. She proceeded to asked me which registry this was under, just like last time. I started explaining to her that I was just buying this for my daughter and there was no bridal registry and she goes...'Oh I remember you, she's still not married?' can you beleive that woman!?"
My mom and I were totally floored.
So needless to say, I'm a bit...whats the word...defensive when it comes to my china. The whole process of me coming to own any at all was a battle so I feel the need to justify why I have it. Now that I am married and have all 10 place settings, it's high time I put it on display proudly. So this gorgeous hutch and all my china in it is sort of my big middle finger to that sales lady. (I mean, between the meat loaf and the still not married comments, she deserves at least that).