week 27: opening those eyes!

it's my last week of my second trimester!  oh my goodness, time is flying.  this week, nora belle is about the size of a head of cauliflower & weighs about two pounds.  she is learning to sleep for awhile at a time & then waking up to have a party in my belly.  you can even sometimes see her kicking!

a very wonderful thing happened for me in kansas city this week - i finally found a delicious americano.  excellent beans, a barista who knows what they are doing, & an appropriate amount of water.  i am a happy girl.  oddly correct, i knew you wouldn't disappoint.  i heart you.

& i made scones this week!  mmmmmm... maple pecan scones.  i heart you too.

{happy husband}

 {& a delicious mocktail & cocktail at remedy!

happy wife}

love love,

kjp.

week 21: blakey is finished!!!!

oh my goodness, blakey is finished with residency.  four years of extremely hard work & play.  four years of learning & growing & teaching & baby catching.  i am so proud of the man, doctor, & husband he's become.

to honor this great group of outgoing chiefs, we had an evening filled with dinner & dancing at the country club.  all eight chiefs were accepted to a fellowship program in his/her specialty, an impressive achievement.  well done, y'all.  well done.

it is so bittersweet to say goodbye to this place that has had such a part in turning blakey into the man he has become.  they've supported him & they've supported me so well over these years.  we could not have asked for more.  

{we're going to miss you, boone,

& your amazing tennessee orange.}

happy pre-father's day, love!  you are going to be an excellent dad.

love love,

kjp.

b is for bennett!

elyse & matt are having a baby boy!!  bennett david rogers is so loved by his family & this wonderful group of friends.  we cannot wait to meet you!

to celebrate this anticipated little boy, we threw a baby shower!  we enjoyed a blue theme with bleu cheese, apple, & caramelized red onion dip with blue corn chips, purple potato salad, moe's wings with bleu cheese dip, & blueberry cupcakes with honey cream cheese frosting.  we toasted with champagne & alcohol-free champagne with blueberries, blackberry mint water, & of course the father-to-be's favorite, miller lite.

it was an afternoon full of love, joy, laughs, & so much to celebrate.  congratulations, elyse & matt!  we are going to love that little baby boy of yours.

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.

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.

charleston, the holy city.

to conclude posting about our incredible trip to south carolina, this, friends, is the holy city of charleston!  our beach house was a short drive away, so we were able to drive into the city a few times for shopping, exploring, happy houring, bar touring, history touring, delicious dinner-ing, & even a girls trip to the spa!

it truly is a beautiful city with so much history & character.  there is an open-air market with all sort of goodies, hole in the wall bars to fancy dining, very old churches & homes, & a story to each part.  & we got to enjoy all of it with these wonderful friends.
 

the fellas had an awesome afternoon at the griffon, a well-known pub with great beer on tap & dollar bills all over the walls & ceilings with names of past patrons.  luckily for all of us, it was also a stop on our bar tour later that day!

{check out our dollar bill when you're there!

it's above the corner booth catty-corner to the bar.}

{the one & only bill murray sat at our booth too.}

when you travel with the mcgowans, you find your favorite restaurant or bar in town & you go to that restaurant or bar as many times as you possibly can.  it's fantastic.  that restaurant on this trip - pearlz. this oyster bar has a great atmosphere, fabulous oysters, & delicious food.  oyster shooters, raw oysters, baked oysters, & the fish & chips.  so so good.

just up the street is a truly impressive prohibition-sytle bar called the gin joint.  they have fabulous cocktail menu filled with local & seasonal ingredients, super interesting flavor combinations, & plenty of things of you've never heard.  it's pretty darn impressive.  & fun.  & delicious.

with all of this fun & imbibing, we did find time for a history tour of charleston!  we went on a walking photo tour of the historic district with the beautiful historical homes & st michael's church where george washington attended & many more famous & important gorgeous buildings.  

{st michael's church}

{one of the many lovely gardens}

the trip of a lifetime.  absolutely incredible.

love love,
kjp.