home with our grandparents

my sisters & i traveled home a couple weeks ago to visit each other, our dad, & our grandparents.  our wonderful & amazing 92 year old grandma & grandpa have been having some health issues over the last few months, so it was very nice to spend time with them & give them big hugs.

these two have taught me so much about love.  the way they take care of one another, put the other first, & still show their love, affection, & respect for each other all of these years later.  it's a true honor to learn from them about marriage & family.

{it was pretty darn nice to be home with family too.}

{my favorite meal of all time:

my grandma's gravy & urban's biscuits.}

{my new/old a.mazing hat

from ou's championship the year i was born.

i LOVE this hat.

thank you, grandpa!} 

 {true love}

love these two so much.

love love,
kjp.

besties in oklahoma.

i got to see two of my bests while in oklahoma!!   we dined at the incredibly delicious kitchen no 324.  mimosas, fried chicken pot pie, & a kale caesar salad.  if you've haven't been here, you totally should go.  then a walk around our oklahoma city home.  a little shopping, a little photo shoot, & much love & joy with friends.  these two beautiful faces were absolutely a highlight of our trip.

before we headed out, we also got to happy hour at pub w with caric!  it is always so nice to catch up with these two.

love love,
kjp.

ringing in 2014!!

this new year celebration was one to remember!  dinner & drinks & dancing with all 10 of the porters.  fancy dresses, fancy family, & good ole fun.  we began our evening with a delicious steak dinner at an oklahoma city staple - junior's supper club.  then to beau & cara's home for champagne toasts, lots of dancing, & the big ball drop.  a beautiful evening with so many of our favorites.  

{my handsome love}

{lisa & dave}

{justin & peyon}

{cara & beau} 

{the porters!}

{a toast with the lovely porter ladies}

{& the gents}

{happy new year to you!!}

we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

love love,

kjp.

christmas baking treats!

{christmas ale donuts with a christmas ale glaze!}

christmas time is a wonderful time in the baking world!  gingerbread & peppermint & eggnog.  salted caramel & spicy chocolate & even christmas ale.  all sorts of comforting tastes & aromas, twisted in a new & fun way.  one more reason to love christmas!

 {glazed gingerbread donuts}

 {peppermint marshmallows,

the original puppy chow,

& salted caramel puppy chow}

my favorite new experiment of the season was making homemade marshmallows!  oh my goodness, it was so much fun.  it made a huge mess, turning from a liquid into this big, white, fluffy goo.  at one point, you think there is no way this is going to turn into a marshmallow.  & then a few hours later, marshmallows!  i made peppermint this time, but it would be so fun to experiment with all different flavors like rum or whiskey for adult beverages.  i think yes.

 {eggnog cheesecake with a graham cracker crust}

 {mexican chocolate cookies with spiced whipped cream}

{homemade flavored whipped cream might be my favorite food of all time.}

{& my winter cupcake - salted caramel!}

happy weekend, friends!

love love,

kjp.

thankful thursday - let's do this.

for the first time in as long as i can remember, i don't have any specific new year's resolutions this year. not because i think i have everything together, we all know i don't.  & not because i am against resolutions, i actually think they can be quite helpful.  i really am just not feeling called to any one specific task or goal or weakness.  the only thing that keeps going through my mind as this new, beautiful year approaches is:  let's do this.

blakey & i have quite the year ahead.  we are leaving this wonderful city, these wonderful friends, these wonderful jobs, our wonderful life we have spent three years building this year.  we are starting a new.  we are packing up everything we own & moving to a city we have each been in less than 3 days or less than an hour.  we are starting over once again.  new jobs, new home, new friends, new city, new life.

i am thrilled & terrified all at the same time.  i am positive this is where we are supposed to be.  but somehow that doesn't completely lighten the anxiety of it all.  so to all of the excitement & fears, let's do this.  let's freakin do this.

& for all of the excitement & fears, i am thankful.  even if i am not sure of it all, i am thankful.  let's do this, 2014.

i hope you can think of something today for which you are thankful.

love love,
kjp.

celebrating the holidays in oklahoma!

{oklahoma will always have the best sunsets.}

blakey & i had a wonderful christmas week in the great state of oklahoma!  eight days of family {although we really really missed my mom & ray & sister & benny boo & little man!} & sleeping in & delicious food & amazing friends & celebrations & one incredible football game.  we got to see our adorably pregnant sister-in-law & our tiny little four month old nephew, celebrate christmas a few times & new years a few times, eat cow or mexican at almost every meal. sleep in until 9 or 10 every morning, & spend every moment together.  it was oh so lovely.

{christmas at my dad's!}

{baby aj!}

{happy hour with delicious cocktails at scratch}

{of course we had to have big truck tacos}

{hot tubbing' with tanky}

the ou vs alabama game had to be the best sugar bowl of all time!  did i think we'd win?  absolutely not.  not a chance.  & that made it oh so sweet.  living in alabama & not having to listen to the tide talk about how incredible they are for the next six months, even better.  boomer sooner, friends.  boomer sooner!

{porters celebrating the win!}

{tanky was thrilled too}

{one of the best burgers in norman at the garage}

{old man tanky was worn out from his week o' fun}

merry christmas to you!

love love,

kjp.