Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

My day isn't off to a great start. I got about ZERO hours of sleep last night. It was one of those situations where you can't sleep because you have so many other things to do, but then you end up not sleeping anyway, so you may as well have just stayed up after all. Sexy Nerd is away on a business trip, which means making the morning coffee fell to me. He'll be home today and not a moment too soon. Grinding the beans, measuring the water, changing the filter, all before I've had any caffeine...that's what I have a husband for! I poured a packet of liquid creamer and some Torani Salted Caramel syrup into a mug, added my finally-brewed coffee, and sat down for a speedy breakfast before running off to work. I mentally checked off the things I need to take care of before Sexy Nerd gets home. The house is still a mess, the dogs need to be fed, the tortoises need their humidifier water replaced, (oh, by the way, Sexy Nerd has an aquarium of tortoises now) today is my...

Let's begin this post with an image. Hmmm, which one should I use? Which one, which one? Ah, this sums things up nicely. It's perfect: I've been on a cancellation list with a local sleep study specialist to finally, finally get to the bottom of my lifelong insomnia  for several months. They never had any openings, so I was forced to be patient and wait for my scheduled appointment like some sort of...patient person. I haven't gotten enough sleep this week month year lifetime - that's the best I can come up with. Last night was my appointment. The sleep study was held at the Drury hotel in a comfy room and included a top-notch breakfast as a reward after a night hooked up to dozens of wires and electrodes. Not that insomniacs need extra incentive to do the study, of course. The reward we hope for is better sleep! So, how was the sleep study I've waited all these months for? I didn't go. *Sob* My job for the last 12 years has been to assist pa...

Dinnerware, my one splurge. Well, that and traveling. And chocolate. And clothes. And, the moment we move into our new house on 13.1 acres, shelter dogs that look like Biscuit. That last one is still unbeknownst to Sexy Nerd, who thankfully does not read my blog. But back to my main point. I love my Noritake Colorwave Floral Accent Plates! We registered for one of each design for our wedding, but received only 4. My mom thought we'd registered for stupid things and refused to tell anyone where to find our registry. My grandma didn't care though. Thank you for the 4 plates, Grandma.  Isn't she just the cutest grandma ever? She's teenier every time I see her. At Christmas this year, I expect her to be about a foot tall, maybe a foot and a half. Accent plate, smaccent plate, Mom. Get enough of them and you have a respectable dinnerware set! My collection is perfect for everyday dining as well as more formal occasions. You know, the kind of everyday din...

A million weeks in and all we have to show for it is a pile of dirt. Shouldn't we be living in the house by now? Things were progressing nicely and the crew dug the trenches to pour our concrete footings. Note how clean and dry they are. This is exactly what you want to see. Imagining how awesome life will be in front of the future fireplace. Then, this happened: (Of course, you would already know this if you followed me on Facebook  and Twitter . Hint, hint.) My mom was one of the first to reply, reassuring as always... Here's what we saw the next day: The footings are full of mud and water and hopes and dreams. We also saw this, which didn't exactly give us confidence in our construction crew: We've chosen a good builder...right? Also, what the hell? Our construction site is at the bottom of the hill, so over the course of our annual monsoon season, all the rain and mud pretty much washed any progress away. Each time ther...

For the record, I do feel a twinge of guilt at the thought that my Nana might read this. Not enough not to write it, you know, but a twinge nonetheless. Whenever possible, I try to do our grocery shopping mid-day. With the stores almost empty, I'm able to browse and meander like a little old senior, nothing but time. Of course, there's a problem with the stores being almost empty. It's just me and the actual little old seniors. And the seniors gravitate toward me as if I were QVC...or tennis balls on a walker...or a small dog to leave in the car...or an afghan to knit...or a rose show at the botanical garden. These are the things that come to mind when I think of seniors. Any chance they'll read this (excluding my Nana) and keep their distance from me? At Smith's yesterday, I was all alone in the cereal aisle, enjoying my personal space, when out of nowhere an old man came up behind me and exclaimed, "This place is almost turning into a Walmart!" ...

Guess what! I am a lucky duck. I entered the giveaway for a homemade stenciled pillow on the Cheap Chic Home blog and actually won ! I never win anything! Isn't it pretty? I put it in our little reading nook in the living room. Isn't it just the cutest little pillow ever ? On a quick side note, my bloggy friends, Wednesday is Sexy Nerd's birthday (he's so old!) I want to make him a romantic dinner after work. If you have any ideas, please send me a link. Thanks! Oh, and did I mention that it should also be inexpensive and fairly easy to make? I'm sure you knew that already ;)

*For the record, this post is not sponsored in any way whatsoever by ThredUp . I just wanted to share their awesomeness with the world! Also, to clarify, I do NOT recommend them as a place to sell your clothes, as they seem to just steal them..though if no one sends them anything, it's going to make it much harder for me to find so many good deals, so...nevermind? I have a new favorite clothing store. They're online and they won my heart after I placed my first order and saw this: (My shopping soulmate?) ThredUp sells used clothing and shoes, but only if it's name brand and in excellent/clean/like-new condition. There are things for women and children. You can also sell your top-notch, unwanted clothing, which I'm sure is great for some people. Me? I'm too much of a hoarder to part with any of my clothes and I have the outgrown walk-in closet to prove it. (Too big? What if I gain weight one day! Too small? Motivation to fit into that again....

We had a blackout here in Albuquerque tonight. Despite the heat, I used the break from Wi-Fi (it seems the only way to get me off the computer is to give me no choice) to enjoy an hour of yoga and meditation. Afterward, I stood in front of my office window, allowing the cool breeze and total darkness to calm my mind further. There's something hypnotic about watching your always buzzing neighborhood reduced to total, silent blackness. No drone of swamp coolers. No conversations escaping from a patio. Nothing. I felt renewed, hopeful for the day ahead and for life in general. Without warning, the power flickered back on, blasting the lights on porches, street corners, and from windows. And as I continued to gaze from my office, all feelings of tranquility were replaced with shock. The instant the lights returned, three people in the street took off running different directions. A man and woman together, as well as a man on his own. They were wearing all black and they'd been...

Sexy Nerd and I have a tradition of turning our travel photos into canvas prints for our home. We lounge in our loft across from a photo we took underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Our guestroom greets visitors with a colorful print of the picnic lawn and duck pond near my favorite museum. As far as a souvenir goes, you really can't top it. However, when you travel at every opportunity like we do, your trip photos can quickly outnumber your wall space (and budget!) Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 2014 Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, 2014 (Or was this the Grand Canyon?) This was taken...ummm...somewhere, 2014 (in Utah, maybe...?) As you can see from my ramblings above, it's crucial to organize your travel photos while the trip is still fresh in your mind. Before my location details got any sketchier, I ordered a photo canvas from canvaspop.com to surprise Sexy Nerd. I've used several photo canvas companies over the years. The thing that makes C...