Bobbypin Bandit

Chicken and Heart

2009-10-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

I quite enjoy challenging myself in the kitchen. I had yet to really open up the wings on my new kitchen in Albuquerque, but when I found out a certain loving man friend from Tucson was coming to visit me, I thought, I gotta get this kitchen flying!! I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with good friends. Lue is one of them. He is one of the few real men I have ever met in this world. So, I thought I would make a home cooked meal for the evening of his arrival. What would he like?...well, he loves bacon....and bacon...and more bacon....

I watch the Food Network as much as my busy academic life allows. I caught Tyler Florence's show about roasting a chicken with bacon on top and crimini mushrooms.

I have never stuffed a chicken before...it was not too pleasant. I felt like I was violating the poor thing. I used lemons, red onions, garlic, thyme, and olive oil for the stuffing. Then covered it with slices of bacon.

The recipe called for 3-pounds of crimini mushrooms. I took everything the grocery store had!!

I couldn't just have the chicken with nothing to dress up the plate, so I thought about healthy sides. I made roasted cherry tomatoes, crunchy rosemary potatoes, and green beans with bacon.

I am pretty sure the dinner was a success. I even learned the importance of basting. We cleaned our plates and had leftovers to last all weekend.

I get a lot of pleasure out of cooking, especially when I get to cook for people who hold special places in my heart.

xo-K

A month later...

2009-10-14T11:54:00.001-07:00

I realized it's been a month since my last post! So much has happened that I decided I would share the photos from this last hectic month!

I have been in Albuquerque for over 2 months and I am trying to see as much as I can. As a new Lobo, I had to take part in the Homecoming festivities. This included burning University of New Mexico's rival mascot, the NMSU Aggie.

The thing went up in flames real fast.

I had to take a picture of Louie the Lobo, UNM's mascot, he was too goofy looking not to.

UNM's President has a partnership with Mexico's former President Vicente Fox. The former President founded El Centro Fox, a presidential library and museum. He came to UNM to give a lecture about immigration. Let's just say that this man was and is not thinking that immigration is a problem. I was able to watch his presentation and I wasn't too impressed. He is a capitalist and all that the word implies.

I am enrolled in a Critical Regionalism class that focuses on discussions of the Southwest. My professor took us out the Salinas Mission National Monument just outside of Albuquerque. We visited the Abó and Quarai Ruins. These are the remnants of the churches and missions that were built in the 1600's when Spanish Franciscan Friars came through the area.

Here is Abó.

This is Quarai.

Everyday I fall in love with Albuquerque more and more. The air smells like roasted chiles from the stand a short walk away from my house. The sky is always gorgeous looking.

Green Chile Harvesting

2009-09-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

It was the beginning of a pretty calm and quiet Friday night, when I received a phone call from my friend, Elisa. I answered the phone and she said, "I am on my way to pick you up, we're going to a chili cook-off." She was at my house faster than I could slip my feet into my flip flops. As we rode to the location, I had so many questions. Who is cooking? What kind of chili? Are we going to a farm? Do we get to help judge? She just smiled, turned up the stereo and drove.

In Albuquerque, local community organization, SWOP (SouthWest Organizing Project), had a chili cook-off to celebrate the beginning of the chile harvesting season.

We were able to taste all sorts of vegetarian and meat chilis. I even tried chili with buffalo meat! It was pretty good.

What I thought would be a boring night at home, turned out to be a fun Friday night!

xoxo-K

Shouldn't we rest on Labor Day?

2009-09-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

My bestest friend, Fernanda, came to Albuquerque this weekend in order to get a taste for my new life here. Usually, she and I travel to Las Vegas, England, San Diego...places with real tourist attraction. This weekend, though, we donned our tourist-gone-local hats and went exploring through the city.

We started with breakfast at Cupcakeology. We couldn't decide which to try, so we split four flavors: german chocolate; red velvet; s'mores; coconut creme.

We decided to attend Kalpulli Izkalli's community event to check out the Curandera/o (natural healers) booths. Los Niños del Sol(Children of the Sun) were dancing folklorico and it was super adorable.

I decided that a trip to the Botanical Gardens and Aquarium would be great for us to walk around and relax. Besides, the first time I went to the Albuquerque Botanical Park, I went alone. I thought it would be fun to show my friend around this great place!

The jellyfish were this strange combination of beauty and creepy.

We were entranced by the butterfly garden.

Later on during the weekend, we took a train ride 20 minutes north of Albuquerque in order to enjoy the New Mexico Wine Festival.

we got to taste some great wines. There was a red chile based wine and a chocolate based wine called Black Beauty. After a few tastes of wine and a couple glasses, I was feeling relaxed enough to get some henna.
The rest of the afternoon was somewhat hazy, but we sure did have a lot of fun.

Cheers!

xo-K

Back to School Week

2009-08-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

This week marked the beginning of my PhD career at the University of New Mexico. I have to admit, the campus is beautiful. There are huge trees and green grass. Something I wasn't really used to in Tucson. I mean, there are trees and grass, but they are forced to grow in that dust bowl of a city. In New Mexico, things seem like they want to grow. Sorry, I know I shouldn't be rude to Tucson like that. It's just a different kind of desert.

There is a decent sized pond near the building I spend the most time in. It's so refreshing to walk outside and feel a breeze and see students lounging on the grass near the pond. There are some interesting pieces of public art. I haven't quite figured them out yet. Makes me wonder who gets to pick public art....I mean, does the public really have a say?

I have walked by these statues everyday and, I have to say, they creep me out.

I somehow got caught up in volunteering to hand out free watermelon and ice cream (they were like those old school cafeteria ice creams with the little wooden spoons!). Apparently, it's tradition on the UNM campus for the school, alumni, and academic organizations to work together to provide free food everyday during the first week of classes. I know a couple of people who are heavily involved on campus, so it makes sense that I would be invited to help them in welcoming the students back to campus.

I am not sure who sliced that watermelon, but let me tell you what, they put that infomercial dude with the knives that cut through cans, to shame!

It even rained a bit during the week, which is always nice. I couldn't see out of my bedroom window. I never realized how much I love that smell after the rain. Not too many people know the smell, but for those of us who do, isn't it a great smell?

Aside from rain, I have decided that I need to do something with this hair of mine. I have curly hair, and with the rain, well, it turns into a frizzy mess. As the bobbypin bandit, I cannot afford to look a mess. I found this wonderful and beautiful girl, Iris, on youtube. She has a multitude of tutorials on how to comb hair. I must say, she has long and shiny locks, which I wish I had. I used to have long hair, but I used to dye it, A LOT. I let my natural color grow out over the past year and a half, and I had to cut my hair short because I was a dark brown brunette trying to be a blond. That color combo on a head, was not pretty. Well, now I have to wait for my hair to grow. I tried a couple of Iris' tutorials and they work well.

Aside from loving New Mexico and trying new hair styles, I have recently been able to learn of flash mobs or dance mobs. One of my Burque friends showed me a video and now I am hooked. Check them out if you haven't already. There are quite a few Michael Jackson tribute dances (there's one from my most favorite place in the entire world, Mexico City).

Until next time.

xo-K

And then, there was Love

2009-08-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since I moved to Albuquerque and I do believe I have fallen in love. I was in a long-term relationship with Tucson, Arizona for 10 years. Unfortunately, our relationship reached its expiration date, and now, there's a new sheriff in town.

For the past seven days I have been busy unpacking, reorganizing, and getting myself acquainted with my new digs. I have to admit, I am loving my new place much more than my old place. For 10 years I shared a place with someone else, but now, it's nothing but mine, all MINE!! I even cooked myself dinner to celebrate: Tilapia and brussel sprouts with a glass of my favorite, Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc.

I decided that I had to celebrate by going on a date with my new city. I mean, I have been here for 7 days and I hadn't really done anything other than run back and forth between my place and Target. So, today, I took myself to the Albuquerque BioPark. I went to the botanical gardens and aquarium. (Right as I was circling the lovely lake with lilly pads, the battery to my camera gave out, so some pictures were taken with the cell phone.) There were some lovely dragonflies resting among this pond.

I ventured through the gardens into the aquarium. My childhood dream was to be an oceanographer. I am not sure why I never pursued the dream, but aquariums make me a very happy girl. I was able to see the manta ray tidepool.

There were large fish tanks that were hard to see because of all the families, but I got to enjoy the fish in person.

After the aquarium, I had to make a quick trip to the Goodwill. When I looked across the street, there was the next best thing in town! An amusement park!!

I decided to finish off the day by walking down the street to the movie theater to watch Julie & Julia. It was such a darling film. My brother is a film guru and has taught me how to look at films and evaluate the cinematography, but when a movie is funloving like this one, all that film school knowledge goes out the window. One thing I loved about the movie, everyone in the theater clapped after the movie was over. I loved that people were vocal and willing to share their enjoyment with the film.

As I walked the few blocks home, I passed the train station.

I have never been a snow-type person nor have I ever skied before. However, a dear good friend of mine, Lue, told me he would come to visit so we could go snowboarding, and apparently Santa Fe is the place to do that. It just so happens, this train station just a few blocks from my new home, is the manner in which I can get my ass to the snow and learn to snowboard. Good thing I have big hips and a big butt to cushion the fall. I might need to practice for this...

Well, there is still some exploring I need to do. If you or any of your friends have any suggestions on things to try or places to visit, please let me know. I have definitely fallen in love with Albuquerque and am looking forward to this budding romance.

Until next time.

xoxo-K

My life...in boxes

2009-07-29T18:29:00.001-07:00

No one said moving was easy, but no one said it was going to take so many boxes, either! It seems that I am living in a sea of cardboard. I kept thinking I might have a glamorous packing experience a la Carrie Bradshaw from the Sex and the City movie.

I kept thinking my friends would show up with champagne and some Run DMC/Aerosmith music.

BUT, no one showed up, because everyone has jobs. Which made the process even more grueling. I got the packing done. Killed a bottle of wine. Now everything is disorganized. I can't stand being disorganized.

Until I leave to Albuquerque in a few days, my house is a disaster! Reality can be such a buzzkill sometimes. Seeing an empty house is definitely shocking, but I can't wait to redecorate my new place.

Until I move to ABQ.

xo-Kristen

The End of the Affair

2009-07-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I was having an affair. It lasted ten years. It was wonderful the whole time we were together. Never have I found a more dependable, sturdy, or colorful being. Whenever I needed someone, I knew I was never alone. We shared laughter, tears, and we both loved my dog the same way. Yes, it is tragic that the affair has come to an end. How ever will I find the same support? I guess I just need to find new upholstery for the couch I love the most.

I met my couch 10 years ago. It belonged to my Aunt/Godmother, who I believe purchased the couch when she first got married in the mid-1980's. It was maroon chenille. When my sister graduated from high school, she inherited the couch and upholstered it in a very vibrant Miami-style print. When I inherited the couch, I had it upholstered in Marimekko print. The print showed up everywhere after my couch came home - there were shower curtains, skirts, handbags, pillows, towels, bed sheets..anything you could imagine. I loved that couch, we shared ice cream, printer ink, movies, dog stains, basically, everything. The time has come, though, to say goodbye....

I got into a PhD program at the University of New Mexico and will be moving to Albuquerque very soon. As a gift, my mom offered to have the couch re-upholstered in a new non-faded, non-stained fabric. I said sure, but I was not prepared to see it go so soon. I knew it would happen, but when I saw my friend, Lue, put the couch in the car, I held back my tears. Now, I am aware that it is silly to cry over a couch, but it isn't the couch I was crying for, it was the sentiment attached to it.

Like most good things in life, this good thing has come to an end. When we meet again, things will be different-the chapter will be new. Just as I will bid farewell to my love affair with Tucson, I will welcome my new couch and new life in Albuquerque with bittersweet excitement.

Even though saying goodbye is difficult and change takes some time to get used to, I am ready for the next chapter in my life to begin. New city, new couch, new...well...everything.

Until next time.
xo-K

I'm Late, I'm Late, for a very important date...

2009-06-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

No time to say hello, goodbye, I am late, I am late, I am late. My fancifully twisty sister is hosting a Mad Tea Party today...and I am running late!

I am usually running late. You can ask any of my friends. I am late for a great party. I love tea AND I love hats. I was trying my best to figure out what to make to bring to the party. Maybe something with a graham cracker crust.

Or perhaps something with a whipped topping...

While I wait for the goodies to come out of the oven, I must get dressed!!! OH! But what should I wear!!!??!!

See you soon!
xo-K

City Girl or Country Girl?

2009-06-24T21:43:00.001-07:00

It seems that every conversation I have had recently has centered around the question, "am I a city girl or a country girl"? What about desert girl? I am from Arizona.

It has been up for debate recently, and I have decided that I am a combination of both a city and desert girl.

I grew up in a small U.S.-Mexico Border town. We lived about 20 minutes out of the town center, so wildlife was always abundant. It had been a long time since I had spent a good amount of time at my parents house. They have an amazing backyard.

Every morning I woke up early and let Douglas out. He loves to chase the birds. He has never caught one, but I love his unfaltering determination to keep trying.

As I sat and sipped coffee with my mom on Monday morning, I watched the birds.

She caught sight of something behind me. We immediately got a hold of some binoculars and I got my camera. There was a clearing across the way from the house. We saw something rustling in the bushes.

When we found what was moving, we counted 19 javelinas!!! There were four babies traveling with the pack. They were so adorable. We ran around to the front of the house in order to get a closer look.

I could hear them in the bushes near me, but I didn't realize that they had circled where I was standing. My mom had run into the house to get something and when she came outside she started screaming at me to run!!! The darn javelinas came charging at me from all angles. I felt bad because they were protecting their young and I was just trying to watch them. That feeling went away right quick as I ran into the house to get away from them. They ran so fast, too! Once we got into the house, my mom and I were giggling like little girls for like 20 minutes. She got all shaky and nervous, but I thought it was funny. It felt good to be around nature like that.

Until next time!
xo - K

The Traveling Bandit Part III

2009-06-11T10:31:00.001-07:00

It has taken me a while to sift through my photos from London. I took over 200 pictures and can't seem to pick the ones that I like the best. I do have to say that while the food was not the best, and I was rather weirded out at the Mexican restaurant that served pita bread in place of a tortilla, it was the sweets that got me.

Our visit to Harrod's broke my heart because there were fabulous items I just could not afford. I was able to afford this...

That was the best berry ice cream sundae I had ever tasted!! There were some hot Swedish guys sitting to my right that made the sundae even better!

Once we left Harrod's, we went in search of some items we actually could afford at Oxford Circus. I will never understand why there has to be 4 H&M's within blocks of each other, but if you want to visit them, they are on Oxford Street. In between some of the H&M's, there is a River Island and a TopShop. Both of which I have come to admire over the internet, but in person, well, I fell deeply and madly in love. I imagine that if I ever met James Franco in person, it would illicit the same physical and emotional response. So into River Island we went and this is what I found...

For those of you who know me well, you are aware of the love affair I have with shoes. I didn't know which way to turn and for a while I was immobile as I stared at all the gorgeous heels. *sigh* The quote on the wall captured exactly how I felt.

I wasn't able to decide on what I wanted until I headed into the shoe department at TopShop. I laid my eyes on these babies and they just had to come home with me.

As we wandered through London over the 2 weeks that we were there, I found cute items at street markets. We used a travel book, that did get us lost from time to time. I had some confrontations with that map...but it got us to Camden Lock Market where I was able to purchase this bad boy. Everyone that has seen this ring seems to think I dropped some mad cheddar to purchase it, but it was only 20£ (which is around $32).

Camden was an interesting place. If all the kids that shop at Hot Topic had a place to call home, Camden would be the place. It was wannabe punk with an edgy attitude. There was this chandelier in the Camden Lock Market that I just lusted after.

There were some good fruit and vegetable stands in Camden.

There was even a nice view of the river.

On a completely separate day, we ventured into Notting Hill. There was some great shopping there. I found some harem pants for 5£. Yes, they are like MC Hammer pants. Maybe I should write an entirely separate post about them...yes, that story will have to wait until another time because this story is better. What we found in Notting Hill was a delicious bakery with tons of cupcakes!!! Allow me to introduce, The Hummingbird Bakery.

They had these nifty plexiglass shelves in the windows with cupcakes in each space.

Fernanda and I had a hard time deciding on what flavor of cupcake to get.

We settled on carrot cake for her and red velvet for me. We tried to share, but they were so good.

There were so many other things that happened on this trip! We went to the National Gallery to see the Picasso exhibit. I was obsessed with examining a charcoal on canvas piece on display because I could see his fingerprints all over the canvas. We caught a showing of Wicked and I am newly intrigued by the world of the Wizard of Oz. We took a tour of the Fuller's brewery and some old men thought we had the H1N1 (Swine) Flu because they found out we are Mexican. Speaking of Swine Flu, I passed a wine bar and they had this on their sign:

I will share more later.

Until Then.
xo,
K

Traveling Bandit Part II

2009-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Where has the Bandit been, you ask? Well, I graduated and left Arizona in favor of some clouds and cold oversees. I spent two weeks in London with my very good dear wonderful friend Fernanda. She and I met when I was 17 and she was 15. We have managed to remain friends for over 10 years! My father always jokes about how lucky I am to have someone that loves me regardless of who I am. In all honesty, I am very lucky to have her as a friend and enjoy life's experiences with her. When I look at pictures of us as youngsters, I am in awe of where we are at now, so many years later. I will begin work on my PhD and she owns a baking business, soon to launch a cupcake store...

Then:

Now:

So, like the jetsetters we are, we packed our bags and took off from Tucson to Los Angeles and then London. We were welcomed into the UK with rain, cold, and accents aplenty. Around the city we went. We managed to not get lost once and navigated the tube quite well. We saw all the touristy things there were to see...

Big Ben

The London Eye

The Royal Courts of Justice

The London Bridge

Notting Hill

Harrod's

Trafalgar Square

This will be the first of many posts to share my trip with you. I will include more about the shopping, food, and people we met.

Until Then.

xoxo,
K.

Adventures with Cell Phone Cameras

2009-02-08T08:12:00.001-08:00

For those of you who appreciate technology as much as I do, you probably have experienced a variety of cell phones. I love the technology of cell phones and everything that tiny device can do. I love the camera feature and have used it quite frequently. I just ordered a new cell phone and needed to extract all my photos from my previous phone before recycling it. Here are some of the things I take pictures of with my cell phone:

This is a peacock from the Reid Park Zoo

Puppy Lola is checking out the cat

Mario's ghettofabulous halloween costume

White Peacock at the Reid Park Zoo

Rotten Jack'O Lanterns

Dhalia from Marisa's trip to upstate New York

Monsoons coming into Nogales, Arizona

Sasha's apartment in New York

Douglas at home on the couch

On the street in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

Bakery in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

View of the Coronado Bridge from San Diego, CA

The Pacific Ocean

Douglas waking up from a crazy dream

Mario's Mini Manhattan

Margarita special at Bison Wiches in Tucson, AZ

Pink lights over the fireplace

My pink Christmas tree

Me

If Rainbow Brite wore heels, these would be it

Hotel Gadsden in Douglas, Arizona

Bloody Mary pit stop in Bisbee, AZ

Mikey's re-birth

Lion at the Reid Park Zoo

Llama

Green Snake

Laura and Me

Me and the largest iced tea ever

Those were my adventures in cell phone images. Hope you enjoyed them.

Until next time.
xoxo-K

It's 2009?

2009-01-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

It seems time flew by. I have to say, 2008 was a rough and tough year. I love celebrating New Year's and it feels so good to clean the proverbial slate. This is my last semester in grad school. I graduate in May and will only be working on my thesis for the next 4 months. Eeek! Say a prayer, light a candle, call the corners, do whatever it is that you do, but please pray for me. This is going to be a bumpy ride. But anything of worth, has to take hard work, right?

As I rang in 2009 I lost something. I tend to be sentimental and put my memories into things, by things, I mean inanimate objects. When I graduated with my bachelor's degree I took a trip to Mexico with my family. While there, I bought a hot pink clay lantern with tons of accent colors. I was so excited thinking about where I would put the lantern when I got back to the states and moved into my own place while I worked a 9-5 job. Well, out of everything that I wanted, nothing came to fruition. Which in a way is good. Sometimes when you get what you want, you don't want it. Or, as my friend Adilia says, that way we learn. I ended up hating my "career" and coming back to school. Which was the best decision ever. Back to the lantern...

As I was dusting my house, I knocked over the lantern. I almost started crying. I remember exactly how I felt when I bought it. I know I can buy another lantern, but it wasn't the lantern I was sad for. It was the memory I had attached to it.

Well, maybe now I can mosaic a garden tile or something.

Until next time.

xoxo-K

Traveling Bandit

2008-11-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should rename my blog, "disappearing bandit"...

Suffice to say, things have been quite hectic in the world of me. The semester is almost over. I have one semester left before I graduate with my master's degree. Eeeeeek! Getting my master's was not a goal I made for myself until recently, but I have to say, even though the journey has been ultimately rough, it has also been the best experience of my life.

I do need a break from time to time. What better than some time away with my two best friends in the entire world, Annette and Fernanda. A girlcation, if you will.

We met in high school. We have been friends for 10 years. I can't think of anything I have had in my life longer than ten years. Well, there is my skin, but you know what I mean. They are my girls. They have stuck with me through and through. Annette lives in San Diego, so Fernanda and I boarded a plane after a few cosmos at the airport bar and we spent a wonderful time together. Girls Only! We were able to celebrate Halloween and ring in the beginning of November on the beach. We ate tons of good food and hung out with funny guys. It was just the getaway I needed from the stress at school.

I couldn't find an ultimately fantastic halloween costume, but these lashes were wonderful.

Annette, Fernanda and I dressed as witches.

I have to say, halloween has definitely changed. We were the only girls wearing clothes. I never knew that Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite were sexy and only wore lingerie when they went out.

Annette took us to this amazing place called Extraordinary Desserts. They had elaborate cakes and pastries, excellent tea, and a very contemporary ambiance.

I had this pastry called a Raspberry Concorde. The base was like a flaky crunchy chocolate mound with chocolate mousse and the berries were set in the mousse. There was even gold leaf on this thing. It was muy delicioso!

The tea was amazing, too. I had Lovergirl tea. It tasted the way rose petals smell. So delicious.
Our last day in SD was spent on Coronado Island. I was raised at the Hotel Del Coronado during the summertime months. I have this strange love for this place. They also make the best glass of orange juice I have ever had.

We spent all day at the beach before our flight left at 9pm.

There is something very soothing about the ocean. I was only woman enough to stick my feet in the water. It was chilly.

I was sad to leave Annette, but Fer and I had to get back to Tucson. Back to our lives. I have to say, though, I can tell I am growing up. I had more fun in the hotel chatting with my girlfriends spilling coffee on the hotel beadspread, than out at a club or fancy restaurant. It was those moments of laughing that will make my time in SD with my two best friends, time well spent.

From left to right, me(Bandit Kristen, Fernanda, and Annette)

Until next time. xoxo-K

Being a Bandit

2008-10-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

I know I have been out of the blogosphere lately. Things have been very hectic for me with school. I am finishing up my coursework so that I can begin writing my thesis and, as many of you know, there have been university wide budget cuts. These budget cuts are inevitable, but I am trying to make sure I work hard in order to remedy the situation before the re-organization affects the Mexican American Studies and Research Center at the University of Arizona. So, if you hear about us on the news, please keep me and my colleagues in mind and send good vibes to Tucson.

So, where have I been? Well, I have been locked in the cellar.

No...I haven't...I have actually just been busy with school, but this weekend, I spent some time with my favorite people, Mikey and Laura. I met Mikey five years ago. Actually, I hit on him at a club on 80's night and we have been great friends ever since. Mikey and Laura live together and they had a few friends over at their place for scary movies and pumpkin carving. We had to get pumpkins first.

We made Mikey pull the wagon with all of our choices.

Once we made it back to the house, it was back to the cellar for this Bandit!

We decided to watch scary movies in the basement of the garage in Laura's backyard. It seems like a fall out shelter or something. Very strange, but very cool.

I had a great time, although, scary movies make me uncomfortable. I get scared easily with movies like Zodiac and The Strangers, that are based off true stories and display the psychosis of the murderous mind.

Just in time for Halloween I guess. Till next time.

xoxo
-K

Mexican Earrings: A Collection

2008-09-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

I have collections of various things: art, shoes, buttons, books. There is one collection I have, though, that I wish to share. I have quite a collection of Mexican earrings. This collection happened by accident and I barely realized that my collection is, well, wonderful. I know it's self indulgent, let me toot my own horn here, my collection is something I only recently learned to admire. So I am sharing it with you, hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do.

These were my first real expensive pair and I only wear them on days when I feel ultra happy or I am going to a fancy party.

These I wear daily, which is why they are tarnishing at the tops. I love them and they have panels that move when I walk or turn my head. They are my super favorite of all time.

I like to wear these with the ones above. Two crescents look real good together.

These were a fairly recent purchase, I like them because they are real long and they dangle very nicely.

I just got these a week ago. I love them. They are of the newer style and the bronze pearls make them all fancy shmancy.

These are from Peru, they aren't quite like the ones above, but they are just as fun to wear.

Now if only I could figure out how to keep the tarnish at bay...

xoxo-K

I am in love.

2008-08-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

There is a man that travels to my neighborhood every day. He is strong and drives a big manly truck. He always brings me gifts when he comes to my house. He knows exactly what I like and brings me things I absolutely adore all the time. Just seeing him brings a smile to my face. I love him and all the wonderful things he brings me. He even wears an outfit to coordinate with his truck. Wait...what's that?...you know him too? Well, I love my UPS man no matter whose house he is visiting today!

School started this week and I wanted to buy some items for myself that would help me accessorize throughout the semester. I ordered this amazing hand hammered, hand etched ring from a store in Los Angeles called Teocintili. Then I decided I wanted some kick ass sneakers to help me as I walk from one side of campus to the freaking other. With the heat and the rain right now, Tucson is like a bloody sauna, so I need sneaks to protect my feet when flip flops just won't do. So, the UPS man delivered some packages today and I was so ecstatic. The new semester started on Monday and this Bandit is already exhausted.

Nothing like fabulous new items to keep me energized as the week comes to a close.

I will try and post more throughout the semester, but hectic times might prevent me from blogging as much as I would like.

xoxo-K

An Ode to Nadia

2008-07-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have a very wonderful friend, who I hold near and dear to my heart, Nadia. I had the pleasure of meeting Nadia a handful of years ago when I started working at a retail establishment in Tucson called Picante (a Latin American folk art store). The owner of Picante owns a toy shoppe next door called, Yikes. Nadia manages Yikes and keeps the toy business running smoothly. Now, when I say toys, I don't mean just any toys, these toys are awesome (like these freak show toys below) and a place this awesome, needs an awesome manager...that's Nadia.

Not only is Nadia an excellent friend, a good manager and fun to work with, she is a very talented crafter. She can felt, sew, draw, needle point, but what she does the ultimate best and with ultimate precision is paper cutting. I was very lucky to have received this paper cut out for my 26th birthday last year.

I don't work at Picante or the toy store anymore, but when they need re-enforcements to cover shifts for vacations, buying trips, or flaky employees, I usually come in to fill for them. I arrived on Thursday morning to help while everyone was away on a buying trip to find this lovely tiny paper cut design that Nadia had left for me. I shrieked with joy and delight. It's about two inches tall and one inch across. It is so lovely and wonderful and I just had to go buy a frame for it immediately.

Don't you all think Nadia should open an etsy shop and begin selling some of these wonderful works of hers? I certainly do.

Thanks, Nadia!! I love my new piece of artwork.

xoxo-K

When life hands you lemons...

2008-07-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Make some lemonade. Basil Lemonade.

I decided to visit my parents for a few days and celebrate the 4th of July. Too bad it's monsoon season. We were hardly able to leave the house. My cousin, Marci, came with me to visit the 'rents and she decided that the only thing to make us feel better would be Basil Lemonade. She was right!

The clouds would come rushing in and then it was like someone was throwing buckets of water at the house.

There was lightning and thunder. The rain was surprisingly cold.

The rain would move on and then we could watch the sunset. If I ever leave Arizona I think that is the thing I will miss the most, the sunset. Nothing beats that view.

Being it that we couldn't leave the house, I had to come up with something to entertain myself with. Since I seem to be on an embroidery kick, I stiched up some cocktail napkins for my bff Marisa.

I came back to Tucson on Tuesday and have been working on a presentation for a conference at the end of this month. I decided I needed a day off and a manicure was in order. When I am in need of a minor pickup, I usually take $20, go to the drug store, and buy items that make me smile. On my recent trip, I bought some nail polish in "fuschia fever". I was looking for top coat in my drawer and found a box of rhinestones for nails. I decided the teal stones would look good on my nails. I might be crazy, but I think I am going to bring the trend back of rhinestone nail art. What do you think?

I just realized that up close, my fingers look very old and wrinkly. Eeeek!

'till next time.

xoxo-K

In Stitches

2008-07-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Time is a wonderful thing, isn't it? I love having a summer vacation, I think I just might stay in school forever if it means I get to have time off in the summer. It has been very nice for me to finish up things I hadn't had time to complete during the school semester. I had been meaning to embroider myself some handkerchiefs. You see, walking or riding one's bike in the Arizona heat, well, it creates a very dewy situation.

A tissue or a napkin is not something a class lady would use to blot down her face and/or neck when she is dripping with sweat because she just walked 3 blocks to get to her building in the blaring Arizona sunshine in 107 degree Fahrenheit weather. No, a napkin or tissue would not suffice. SO, handkerchiefs it is. I completed all three this afternoon.

I need to go embroider more things.

xoxo-K

Back in Black

2008-06-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, Back in Black, like the AC/DC song, which I request on the jukebox at the District every time my friends and I need to get out and drink off our issues. Some people hugs things out, we drink things out. At any rate, so I was not so thrilled with how my blog was looking, so I decided to change it up a bit. I took a small vacation from the world after school let out for the summer, been doing lots of yoga and pilates, and I feel rejuvenated and relaxed now. I even decided to make myself my own bag for my yoga mat.

I used an Amy Butler pattern. I love her patterns because they are easy to follow and don't take too long to make.

Aside from being back in the blogging world, the summer rains are back in Tucson. I enjoy the water, because it means I don't have to water the yard everyday, BUT it also means humidity, which causes my hair to look like it got stuck in the wrong end of the blow dryer, and that just isn't pretty. There are also critters that come out to play. I decided to spend this weekend at my parents house and it was critter central!! First, there was a large toad in the pool with his toad girlfriend on his back.

Then, the tarantula. I found it odd that parents kept referring to the spider as "her". Very strange gender assignment, I thought.

I finished off the weekend by making some pistachio chocolate chip cookies. I have been meaning to make some pistachio cupckaes off the cupcake blog, but couldn't find the ingredients to finish off the frosting, so I used a recipe from the pistachio paste manufacturer's.

The clouds just settled in again, so I am off to curl up with a good book and enjoy the rest of my Sunday before my Monday that has been chock full of meetings for school. At least Tuesday will be a light day.

xoxo-K