Lemon Pie

When life gives you lemons....

....give them to Katy.

I love all things lemon. Always have. Lemon cake, lemon bars, lemon muffins, and most of all:

Lemon Pie

I grew up on this stuff. It's always been a favorite of mine and my big brother's. We fight over this pie. And he's 6'3 so needless to say I usually don't get the first piece. I'm so mistreated. 

I tried to go to work (sick) on Friday and got sent home, so on my commute back I called my mom and told her it was time for pie. She thought it was a good idea. And I was always told to honor my parentals, so if she thought I needed pie, well, who was I to argue? 

This pie has four ingredients. F.O.U.R. And it takes 7 minutes to prep (I timed myself). Easy peasy lemon pie. 

What do you need?

2 cans Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups of lemon juice
4 eggs (just the yolks)
1 pie crust
(lemons optional for garnish)

What do you do?

Are you ready for this? I don't think you are...

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the bowl
Crack the egg yolks into the bowl (save the whites for something healthy)
Add the lemon juice into the bowl
Stir them up
Pour into pie crust

Hello world's easiest pie. 

The hardest part? Waiting for that blasted pie to "set." You make an incredible yummy pie in less than seven minutes......and then you can't touch it for approximately 5 hours. LAME. But y'all. It's so worth the wait. I promise. 

I ate the whole pie in three days. Good job, Katy. Way to work on that beach body. 

OH - and if you're wondering where the whipped topping is....sorry. I've never liked anything in the whipped cream/meringue family, so you will never see any of that on my pies. To me, it ruins the pie. But if you want the 'sugar air' - then you just go for it!

 There will be many lemon pies in my summer. There should be in yours too :)

Until next time,
Katy

Like to Know It

.....ummmm. I just found out what this is. And I am fully aware that that statement may have just made me a total loser but y'all. I am amazed at this little program. 

My [way more 'in the know'] friend Kristie informed me of this last week, and due to being sick all week/end, I've spent quite a few hours familiarizing myself. Much to the detriment of my bank account. 

So, let's discuss.

What is it?

It's basically as if a virtual magazine/catalog meets a personal stylist - and you get advice without having to deal with real people. Did you follow? No? Okay. Let's try the how.

How does it work?

So you follow certain fashionistas on instagram, and then if you double tap, or 'like,' their photo, you get an email with every item of the outfit and a link to where you can buy it! How convenient is that? And I'm talking e.v.e.r.y. item in that photo: shoes, hats, accessories, lipstick - all of it. So it's on a don't ask, don't tell basis. If you follow someone and you only like a few of her outfits - you only get the information about those specific outfits. 

You can watch the official "how to" video here.

Why is it dangerous awesome? 

Because it's so convenient! ...almost too convenient. For example, I'm going on a beach vacation in a little over a month, so I'm on the lookout for all things beachy -- hats, bags, sunglasses, beachy maxi dresses, etc. Well ladies and gentlemen, the search is over, and I don't have to set foot in a store. Can I get an amen??

Plus, I'm not a good shopper. I'll be the first to admit. I'm a manikin-shopper. I walk in, and if the manikin is wearing it, I'll likely buy it. Am I proud of my lack of ability to dress trendy? No. But I'm real. So I might as well let the people that are good at it do it and I'll just learn from them!

Who should I follow?

Once you sign up, you can search the "featured" outfits to find certain stylists. If you find someone you like, I would check the price ranges of their items. If they have a larger closet budget than you do - it's not going to be as much fun. Find someone who makes outfits in your price range. Or, if you're like me, just ask your friends who are already well-versed in this trend who they follow :)

Here are my top three followers as of the moment:

@a_southerndrawl

@emilyanngemma

@blushingbasics

If you have other people I need to follow - please tell me. I'm pretty excited about this little nugget of knowledge I just embarked upon. And I cleaned out my closet/chest this weekend (take that May goals!) so I'm all kinds of ready for some new wardrobe pieces :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic Monday!!

Until next time,
Katy

Peek at the Week

Are you judging my title? You hush. I love things that rhyme. Ask any of my friends - I always want to write a poem for any opportunity that arises. My mom says I should work for Hallmark. I'd rather just write country songs. 

Moving on. So what is "peek at the week," you ask? It is 100% simply a catchy (or so I think) name for all the photos on my phone. I'm a huge fan of documenting with pictures. If you follow me on instagram, you probably think I over-gram. But you really have no idea how much self restraint I use. 

Peek at the Week is just simply my week....in pictures.

Friday my firm had a community service day. We all traded in our 10-keys to do some good around the metroplex in honor of our firm celebrating its 100 years! My group got down in the dirt and planted herbs and veggies for the Nexus Women's Recovery Center. Though I admittedly was not too excited about the task at first, I quite enjoyed the gardening! Plus it's a really great organization with some really sweet people.

After I washed off the dirt, I met the girls at Remedy for Amy's birthday dinner! Quite entertaining listening to these girls' stories about marriage and parenting :)

OH - and I also got to partake in my (current) favorite dessert: dark chocolate ice cream. Y'all, I don't know what they put in this stuff, but my tastebuds are blown away each and every time. If you're having a down day, dark chocolate ice cream from Remedy will fix it. I PROMISE YOU.

Oh - and the red wine is also a nice pairing :)

Saturday afternoon a big group of us went to "Catch the Vision" for our church. This is basically their membership class where you learn about the history of the church, the government of the church, their goals, and the many ways you can get involved! 

I felt so....grown up. I joined a church. And I can't wait to get involved. Church was always a huge part of my life growing up, but ever since college I feel like I've just been....floating. But now I have a church, and I'm excited to make it my home.

Sunday....well, Sunday I should have been in a canoe. 

Lord have mercy it rained. And it rained. And then it rained some more.

But then it stopped and Char told me that on this Mother's Day he wanted to treat me to some TCBY. So we went on a little road trip. Isn't he the sweetest son?!

The boys of the household on Sunday evening. We shall call them Happy and Judgy.

A lot of you have been sweet to ask how my May goal of me being a 'morning person' is coming. Last week was okay, I was pretty tired by the end of the week, but I didn't have extreme hatred for the alarm. So that was nice. Now, what do I do with my mornings? They look a little like this....

 Coffee (man that picture makes me smile), Jesus, and blogging. On the non-blogging mornings I'd like to work out, and that was my plan this week.....

Until I got sick. I came home sick from work mid-afternoon Monday and have been in bed pretty much ever since. I hate being sick. I feel worthless, useless, and like I'm wasting away life. Plus this guy just doesn't understand why I'm in bed all the time and not outside playing with him...

So unfortunately my week hasn't held anymore pictures unless you want to see pictures of Scandal and Friday Light Nights. Cause that's pretty much all I've done. OH - and I indulged...

Since Blue Bell isn't an option, I reverted to my childhood and made me some chocolate chip muffins. Funny story - as a kid/teen I hated breakfast. Which is so odd because now I'm like give me breakfast 3x a day. But I used to hate it so my mom would make these on a weekly basis and I'd eat two every morning (heated up for 10 seconds in the microwave). Man I forgot how good these are. Worth every calorie.

SO that's my week - nothing overly exciting. Just an every day life update to make sure you're Keeping up with Katy :)

Until next time,
Katy

Kendra Scott

Ahhhh Kendra Scott. A name my sweet boyfriend had never heard of a year ago and is very familiar with now. As all good men with women are :)

Buying my first pair of Kendra Scott earrings (back in 2011) was like trying to eat just one piece of the pie. I had just started working, was trying to be frugal, and would just spend hours on Kendra's website. Wanting and drooling. 

I decided to treat myself with the justification that I'd "just get one." One pair. Then I'd be good. Haha. Ahh yes, the extremely skewed mind of a female. 

My first pair, and the most commonly known pair, was the Danielle earring. I bought them in white, wore them to death, and now have them in about 4 other different colors. They're just a good earring, people. 

Some people complain about the weight of the earrings, but I guess I just have tough earlobes cause they never really bother me....and I wear them frequently. If you want the smaller version try the Elle. For me, bigger is better cause I got lotsa hair. My earrings have to be able to hold their own.

Recently I've been 'branching out' and buying some additional pieces. Are you proud? I was proud. So proud. Go me. 

First we'll start with the bracelet I shared on my Friday Favorites a few weeks ago.

The Andy Bracelet

I got the Goldstone (a pretty shimmery burnt orange color), but they have over twenty different color combos. Surely you'll find one (or seven) that are to your liking :)

Andy - Navy Cat's Eye

Andy - Rose Quartz

Andy - Gold and Black

 So that's my recent find in the bracelet world. Moving on to necklaces...

The Connely Necklace

I purchased the Kiri in white pearl last summer, and the Rayne necklace in turquoise towards the end of last year, but to celebrate our one year dating mark, sweet Jeff bought me this gorgeous statement necklace! (And word on the streets is he contacted the experts for approval - so thanks Kels!)

This is the Connely in gold/iridescent slate. Isn't it pretty? And it goes with pretty much anything and everything. Our one year was in January (aka still scarf season) so I'm super excited to completely overwear it this spring/summer. I wore it to our Newsies date the other night. Isn't it perfect?! Thanks, dear :)

Now onto earrings...

The Alexandra Earrings

When I was deciding what to wear to the ACMs, I knew I wanted a simple dress with some big fancy statement earrings. My friend Emily wore these Alexandra earrings to a Christmas party last year, and I'd been thinking about them ever since. So what better reason to treat yourself than a once in a lifetime experience like the ACMS?! ...I should have been a lawyer. I can justify anything. 

 And again - these puppies come in a bajillion different colors, as well as a smaller version (the Alex).

So there you have it! My three most recent Kendra finds. OH - and for Mama's day I got my precious mom a KS treat of her own :)

This is the Elton bracelet in turquoise. Doesn't it look awesome on her?! I knew the color would look great against her olive complexion (that I did NOT get and am pretty bitter about). And I just love it. It was definitely one of those purchases where you reach the cashier and second guess if you just want one :) But I was strong. I behaved!

...but I can't promise it won't be an item on my next Kendra finds :)

Happy Monday everyone. If it's a rough one, treat yoself. 

And in case it's a REALLY rough Monday (which some of them are doosies), here's a 2-minute video of golden puppies taking their first swim. You're welcome. Around the one-minute mark is my favorite :)

Until next time,
Katy

To Mama

Y'all. This woman. 

I know. I've seen both Instagram and my Facebook newsfeed. Everyone thinks their mama is the greatest in the world. And honestly, that makes me really happy. Because that means the people I love are all blessed with sweet mamas.
But, true to fashion, that also means I think I have the best mama in the world :)

 My mama is the perfect combination of selfless and strong. She will move mountains to help those she loves. And she may be little, but she's a tough cookie. Where most would break, she merely only bends. She's a lover of all people - from the babies to the oldies, and if you picked a phrase out of the sky, she probably would know a song about it. 

 
She can do pretty much anything. But really I'm not kidding. She can turn weeds into a flower arrangement, a dump into a house worthy of HGTV, and any cool thing you see in the store....she can make it. She was pinterest before pinterest existed. And the baking. OH the baking. In high school my friends would come over just for the food. I'd walk down the stairs and there'd be my friends, sitting at the kitchen island, eating Susie's homemade something.

 I can only hope to one day be the mama to my kids that she was to me. I hope to have it all together. I hope to be a 'jack of all trades." I hope to be known for things like pepperoni pizza dip and turtle cake. I hope to be a teacher to my kids, but also a friend. And I hope that one day my kids love me as much as I love her. Because then I think I'd be doing pretty well. :) 

OH - but you know what the cool part is? I know I'm not there yet, and I know as a new mama I won't instantly know everything and have it all together, but I do know I have a mama who will be right by my side until I figure it out. She's amazing y'all. 

So here's to you, mom. Thanks for being everything we ever needed. For loving us no matter what. For putting our needs before yours and being there for us come hell or high water. For just being you. We are forever blessed, and forever grateful. 

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31:25-29

I love you Mom!
Katy

Friday Favorites

It's Friday! And that means Favorites!

This one featuring a very special someone in my life :)

1. MY BIG SISTER!!!!

Now, she definitely could be a standing favorite every Friday, but today is super special and super favorite because today is her BIRTHDAY!!! (You. Right there. Yeah you. Go wish her a Happy Birthday.) 

Being 9 years apart, I think it's surprising to a lot of people how close we are. When she went off to college I was around 9 years old (worst day ever), but we became "pen-pals" of sorts. Cell phones weren't big, email wasn't either, and so Amy and I would write letters to each other. I was always so excited to come home from school and check the mail! Once she even wrote me a letter on the back of a puzzle :)

Through the years, Amy has always been part-mom, part-sister. We've got the best friend aspect down, but she also was always willing to fight my battles, give me advice, and never missed one of my dance recitals! (Even when her best friend got married the same day). She's selfless, funny, caring, strong, and ...well right now I'm a little weepy :) 

When we're together - we laugh. Nonstop. And hard, y'all. We laugh hard. 

I could go on and on about how wonderful she is and how blessed I am, but you just wouldn't get it. She gets it, though. So Happy Birthday, Lubbs! Know that I couldn't do this world without you and I love you to smithereens!!Can't wait to celebrate tonight!

2.  Skinny Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

Okay I promise this is really good, it just feels really anti-climactic after talking about how much I love my sister :) But I digress. We'll give lemonade it's fair shot. 

I don't really like normal lemonade, but Jeff and I had strawberry lemonade slushies from Sonic the other day and I've been hooked ever since. So I decided to make my own! I got the Crystal Light lemonade mix (with Truvia - not sugar), cut up fresh strawberries, added a little ice, and BAM! My new favorite summer drink!!

3. NEWSIES

Are you tired of me talking about Newsies, yet? Sorry. Too bad. 

Last Saturday, Amy, Lisa and I went to the show, and last night I took Jeffrey to his very first musical. And I kept telling people that. I felt like I should have made him a baby book or something. #myfirstmusical 

 

Anyways - it's an INCREDIBLE show and people. If you have time this weekend, you need to go. It shows here in Dallas through Sunday. Do yourself a favor - heed my advice and buy your tickets!!

Okay...I had a few more "favorites" on my list for today. But I think they're just going to have to wait until next week. When you kick off your favorites with your big sister and then throw in Newsies - everything else seems silly. So next Friday, be prepared for numerous 'silly' favorites :)

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!!

Until next time,
Katy

London!

“A foggy day, in London town….” 

Mr. Buble’s song was stuck in my head the whole week we were in London town. 

Now, did I just get back from London? No. I went this time last year. But, like my NYC trip, I didn’t have a blog a year ago and future Katy will really like to look back on this. So in honor of #tbt, as well as the new little Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge, we’re revisiting London.

First up, please note the Reeves family preparation:

 Here we have dad hiding all of his personal documents (though still in the airport Pappadeaux of the good ole USA), me and pops on the brink of cabin fever (before take-off), and Allen getting innovative with his sleep (in the IAH terminal).

Fools. We are a bunch of fools. 

 Once we touched down in London town, we embarked on our journey to our hotel. And I led us about a mile in the wrong direction (I hadn't been to London in 6 years...I was a little rusty). Please note that to go on this trip, I submitted an application to my parents (yes, you read that correctly) to be their tour guide. See provided resume below...

And I got the job! So strike one on the whole tour guide thing. Luckily it was my only mistake, but big brother never let me live it down.

That was near this place. Glory Be Hallelujah.

Our rainy little neighborhood

Sunday night we got settled in, Allen fell asleep (apparently being 6'5 and sleeping on a plane doesn't mix well),  and the remaining three of us made our first stop. And where do you think that was?

DUH hello Big Ben of course!

And since we didn't have Al, we went ahead and purchased tickets for the London Eye for the next evening. My original itinerary then had us going to the Texas Embassy (the referenced Tex-Mex spot in my resume) for dinner. So we walked. And we walked. In the rain. And the cold. So yeah, funny story, the Texas Embassy closed. Dang, okay so maybe that was a tour guide fail #2. 

Monday we spent the whole day (not exaggerating) at the Tower of London. When I first went, I spent a couple of hours. But no no - not this time. This time I went with three history buffs. 

....the "buffs," themselves

Y'all. We did the tour, saw the jewels, toured the living quarters, hung out in the torture chamber, and touched all seventy-five floors of the museum. I mean, okay, it was pretty cool. I just like being dramatic.

....because why not?

Home of the gowns and the crowns

The boys waiting on Susie to get through reading every single plaque...

 Whew! So that was the Tower of London. But you can't visit the Tower without snapping a few photos of that pretty Tower Bridge (one of my favorite landmarks)...

Look at my precious parents. Aren't they cute? And yes my mom is holding historical reading material...

After the Tower we went back to the hotel in order to switch hotels. Mhmm, Yep. We were staying in cute little London B&B types, and the way my dad put it, "we were just too big." We were too large for our space. So we moved across the street to a different B&B. Which just happened to be across the way from a cupcake shop :)

Later that evening we set out for the London Eye!

Right before the rain came in....

Oh and we also snapped a couple more pictures with Ben now that Allen was awake.

Guess what Tuesday was? More history!! We hit up Downing Street and Westminster, and then as a little break reprieve treat to me....we got lost in Harrods :)

While my parents were buying tickets for the Abbey, I ran in the middle of the street (while Allen was yelling at me that I was a lunatic) to snap this photo. Worth it. This photo just looks like London to me.

Soon enough it was time for Harrods! Eeks! By the way, if you've never been to Harrods, prepare yourself. It is highly overwhelming. We all stood over in the shoe section with the 14-page map just to get our "bearings." I don't know how one actually shops for clothes there. Me? I just go for the ice cream sundaes :)


Isn't my mom just the cutest little thing ever? She makes me smile. And yes, she is holding a bag of more historical memorabilia from Westminster. 

All smiles after our ice cream!

My "simple" chocolate shake

 And then I saw a giant red coat teddy bear. So that of course happened.

Wednesday we took a break from London proper and headed off to Oxford! We checked out Christ's Church (home of some religious stuff and the Harry Potter Hogwarts Hall inspiration), visited some old pubs, ate Ben's cookies, and just enjoyed being in the college town. Where we of course bought our fair share of sweatshirts. Buncha posers :)

Heeeeeey HP

Outside of Christ's Church

Oldest pub in the London area! (1492) - and I had to.

Ben's freaking cookies. The Tiff's Treats of Europe.

 So that was Wednesday, obviously lots more pictures and things but I'm trying to fit one week in one post so bear with me. Next up was Thursday which was probably my favorite day of the trip. It was just a lot of family time. And a ton of laughs. We went to Buckingham Palace and then grabbed some hot cocoa and strolled around Hyde Park. We toured Kensington palace, said hey to baby George (not really) and then wrapped the day with the Phantom of the Opera!

My future home. I toured this thing in 2008. Quite an establishment right there.

 I think I look good in royal :) Okay so this next picture will not be funny to you. But this one picture had all four of us cracking up. We all hopped up on this cement block to get a better look of the palace, and I of course turn around to take a selfie. Well, then mom turns around and smiles next to me. Then in my phone I see Allen lean in behind me, and before I know it, my dad slams (yes, slams) his head in next to mine, and this happened. 

I am cracking up while I type this y'all. It was hilarious. This will forever be one of my favorite pictures. I love these people so much.

OH - and we saw the queen! Well everyone did except mom. Cause she was too short to see above the crowd. But we went up to the gates and sure enough, people started screaming and out she rides, waving and wearing a royal hat! Sorry, mom. It was pretty cool.

I love Hyde Park. Hyde Park is my happy place.

Seriously incredible musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber is brilliant.

 Friday we all went our separate ways and did our own thing. I went to my old study abroad stomping grounds and wrote a song while sitting on a bench in Hyde Park. Then me and my sweet mama had high tea.........in the lobby of the Hilton. Long story. So it may not have been the true high tea experience, but we still had great girl time :) 

Love this gorgeous woman

And those are the highlights!! A trip I'll always remember with some of my favorites. Saturday morning we headed to the airport and Allen returned home while me and the parentals took off for Italy!! But that'll have to be another day :)

Until next time,
Katy