spreadin' the (birthday) love

actually, i'm not done celebrating my birthday yet, but here's what's happened so far:

a night away at a fancy hotel...

 

complete with morning latte delivery (thanks, babes!)

 carrot cake french toast for breakfast at this fab spot

 

my little one brought me cake

 PQN lunch on "the day" with fabulous friends

the big kids made me a cake (with a little help from my mom)

and handmade cards from my preschool sweethearts

am i lucky or what?!

xo,

hvk

MObama's new 'do

even the POTUS himself joked that his wife's new bangs were the biggest event of the weekend, and i think it's kinda true.  usually the big galas are all about what michelle is wearing, but this inauguration weekend, we only had eyes for her hair (and if you think i'm exaggerating, just google "michelle obama bangs" and see for yourself- currently there are 103 million results).

 

her jason wu dress was totes gorge though. 

the NYT on PDX karaoke

my friend HD recently shared this article about portland's karaoke scene with me.  this piece made me happy to live in such a weird little city.  and really happy that i have a friend that got me into karaoke then, and even happier that (after years and years and so many kids) we still rock it now.
love you, stella!

happy news year!

great news this week:
my fabulous sister and her long-time boyfriend are engaged!
i couldn't be more excited for them!  we can't wait to travel to chicago for their october wedding!

a fresh coat

 

image found on this fun blog

 

the "new year, new you" fever that sweeps the nation has hit me in the form of home improvement impulses.  i spent the first week of 2013 swapping lamps, throw pillows and other accessories from one room to another (it's a free way to make things feel new!) and after all that, i just had to paint.
the painting project that i took on is sizable, and with three little kids at home, i usually only paint for an hour or two at a time, so it could be another week before i am done.
stay tuned...!

fashion's great heights

i love racked.com.
and maybe someone there was bored over the holidays, because i can't imagine how height is a top story, but this week, a list of some of fashion's most influential players (in order of stature) was released.
i took the liberty of placing myself on the scale.
pictured:
- Nicole Richie 5'0"
· Mary-Kate Olsen 5'1"
· Ashley Olsen 5'2"
· Sarah Jessica Parker 5'3"
· Nina Garcia 5'4"
· Ralph Lauren 5'6"
· Rumi Neely 5'7"
· Rachel Zoe 5'8"
· Alexa Chung 5'8"
· Bryan Boy 5'9"
· Marc Jacobs 5'9"
· Heidi Klum 5'10"
· Karl Lagerfeld, 5'10"
· Gisele Bundchen 5'11"
· Jenna Lyons, 6'0"
· Tim Gunn, 6'2"
· L'Wren Scott, 6'3"
· Andre Leon Talley: 6'6"

best. taco. ever.

food and wine magazine just came out with a list of the best tacos in the country and i am proud to say that my favorite place to eat in portland ever made the list!  congrats, PQN!

the photo from foodandwine.com also features mi bebida favorita de PQN- a large margarita with chili salt! 

 i also love that big star (one of my favorite spots in chicago) made the list!

happy new year!

NYE 2003

we celebrated our 10th new year's eve together last night in the style of many parents of young children- at home and in bed early!
once upon a time, we used to stay out all night...
happy 2013 to you!