Kitty Deschanel

Sexy Nerd and I spent last weekend at the fabulous Taos Summer Wine Festival, hiking and indulging in the best food ever. And maybe even a glass or two...or 27(?!) of wine. (They were little pours, lest you think I'm typing this from beyond the grave.) I've been busy, busy, busy with work and house stuff since returning home on Sunday, but couldn't let my fun trip photos languish unseen any longer. There's a real post coming soon, but for now you can enjoy just a taste of the Taos Summer Wine Festival. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Actually, I'm not sorry at all and the brainstorming starts now. For my real blog post, I will be bottling as many wine puns as I can cork. If I'm covering an event in the mountains, you can bet there are going to be chipmunk photos. Waaay more chipmunk photos to come in the real blog post. Yay! They were such cute little winos, constantly holding up their own teensie glasses to be filled, but we were like You've had

Here are more design ideas from the Summit County Parade of Homes . Enjoy! 1. Windows that go all the way down to the countertop (or countertops/desks/tables that come all the way up to the bottom of the window) look amazing. Stretching the window wall to wall is even better. Update: When building our dream home in the NM mountains, our builder explained that this does cost a bit more, as it requires very specific framing to make sure everything lines up perfectly. 2. Frame square cubbies right into the drywall for a modern bookcase. When we build our dream home next year, I'd like to do something similar but with wood on the bottom of each shelf. Or stone. Or maybe a bright, fun color painted onto the back of each cubby - a different one in each square.  Our poor builder doesn't know what he's gotten himself into. 3. For maximum impact, you need many, MANY pendant lights. 4. Have a little nook/hallway? Don't just leave it plain and boring. A lit

I had the best weekend. Usually, I embrace my lazy and antisocial ways, hunkering down in front of my computer until it's time for work on Monday. Frankly, I was annoyed this wasn't the way my weekend was shaping up to be. But, oh, the fun I had! We went to a cool new brew pub (twice!) and I went to yoga (yay me!) and we participated in a fundraiser called Bowling for Rhinos (and I kicked butt!) and we got to show off our soon-to-be new house (nearly done!) to my in-laws and we went out for BBQ (yum!) and we even went to a fancy wine tasting, where I confirmed once and for all that I am the lightest lightweight in the history of lightweights. Seriously. The 6 tastings of wine were itty bitty pours that added up to maybe 1 full glass and the room, which was bathed in a glorious, hysterical glow, would not stop spinning. I had such a fab weekend that I've decided to shun Everyday Kitty Deschanel and put Fun, New-And-Improved Kitty Deschanel (now with glitter!) front and

My grandma lives in Australia, so I rarely saw her growing up. When we did interact, it was always a bit jarring because I'd turned her into a stereotype in my mind. Grandmas are sweet, little old ladies who bake cookies and are always nice to you no matter what, right? For a while, I thought my grandma was mean. Just look at these comments she has posted on my Facebook page: Me:  Construction has been going on for MORE THAN A YEAR. I emailed our builder this morning with a few holiday-related questions, such as if they'll be working on our house at all next week. He blew off all my questions and ignored me, but did have his wife reply to request we pay our latest construction loan installment early to avoid any holiday-related delays. Nana:  Ratbag. What kind of little old lady calls someone a ratbag? She's one tough grandma! The love is there though. Here I am, causing my poor grandma all kinds of worry: Me:  In an effort to avoid the single supplement and still t