A lot happened in the past year. The CliffsNotes version – After four years in Seattle, Styled by KDG moved back home to Washington, DC. Well, Bethesda, for a particular school district for my daughter, but home. Having all the feels over the last six months – things are the same but different, different but the same, and yet familiar. Oh so familiar. How I’ve missed the familiarity of friends who know everything about you, roads that you know where they will take you, restaurants where you say “Oh remember when we had dinner here with…”. And the best part is my sister is right down the street whenever I want to see her!
The downside of the move is that I am deep in the bog of the job hunt. My need for a creative outlet to de-stress from the job search has inspired me to resurrect the blog. I cannot guarantee this blog will be your most riveting read but perhaps it might be an entertaining distraction during these unprecedented times.
So onward…”It’s Been a Minute” is not only the title of this post but a new series I’m going to put into rotation. This series will catch you up on some of the things that have caught my eye over the past week. In the future, you can find this series on Wednesdays.
WHAT I’M CRAVING
The Essential Curve Shoulder Bag in Coffee Bean – Madewell $238
I have been a forever fan of Bottega Veneta’s woven leather bags. Someday when my brilliant daughter has graduated from college and I am downsizing to my retirement pied a terre in Paris, I will purchase one. Until then, I would happily carry this angelic wanna be bag from Madewell!
WHAT I AM DOING
Murdle Volume 1 – Barnes & Noble $16
I am fairly certain all of you saw Murdle making the social media rounds over the holidays. Clearly, I did as well – got one for me and my husband as well as my hard to shop for, smart as a whip brother-in-law. You know, I am getting older and crossword puzzles and the NY Times Spelling Bee are starting to not cut it. I may be old enough to need to regularly challenge my brain whilst still having the attention span of a 5 year-old – enter Murdle.
WHAT I AM EATING
Crispy Artichoke Pasta – New York Times
Every week I dutifully check out the NY Times food section as if I actually liked to cook. And then I move along to the Style section. Then one day, on Instagram, this recipe popped in to my feed and I clicked on it because I like artichokes or I was scrolling in an epic journey of procrastination – one or the other. Looked cute, saved it, may make it later. Fast forward – I made it. Holy smokes. My family knows that when I whip out the 30 minutes or less recipe, they have a solid two hours before dinner hits the table. But y’all, I made this in the allotted time and my kitchen did not look post-apocalyptic. It is a truly refined dish that is approachable by even the most discerning adolescent. 🙂
WHAT I AM WEARING
Langwyqu Turtleneck Sweater in Beige & Army Green – Amazon $39.99
I owe this sweater purchase and subsequent recommendation to a fashion blogger whose name I, unfortunately, cannot recall. But god bless her because this sweater is a dream. Yep, it is from Amazon. Now that we have gotten that out of the way let me just tell you what you want to know. It holds it’s shape – I wash it and air it on the drying rack. It is thick – such that I can wear it on a weekend jaunt to NYC in 30 degree weather and be a bit overly warm with my puffer coat on while trotting around. It looks and feels like I spent $100+ on it.
WHAT I AM READING
Stephen King on Writing – Barnes & Noble $18.99
My amazing daughter possesses an innate quality of reading you and finding just the right gift. For Christmas, she put together a package of items to encourage and support my writing endeavors. Among them was this book – I am besotted with it. I grew up during Stephen King’s heydey. In fact, my AP Literature teacher challenged us that if we got through the curriculum early we could choose between two popular fiction books to read for our final. One of them, which I chose, was Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Even if you are not a fan of his genre, I think you will find his insights and life experiences very interesting.