April 2, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 6 Comments

Three Things Thursday: Thursday April 2, 2015

My contribution of some of this week’s happy moments to the lovely Nerd In the Brain’s Three Things Thursday…

because it’s pretty sad not to take time to be happy!

When I was out running errands last Saturday, I stopped by Intown Hardware and visited my favorite chicken, who lives there in their Swanky-Chickens-for-Wealthy-Hipsters Coop (co-op?) I named her Aretha Franklin, because much like the famous singer, she has quite an amazing hat.

Lamentably, my husband will not allow me to have a chicken, so I must admire her from afar.

We compounded the beautiful day with brunch at Bantam Pub, which they were kind enough to build in the driveway of my loft complex. The food is wildly delicious. We soaked up sunshine and sweet breezes on the patio while enjoying Eggs Benedict with grilled salmon and bloody marys for me and a fried egg-topped lamb burger and some bourbon for my husband.

As the lovely warm Spring day chilled into the evening, my husband pulled out the chimenea and built a cozy little campfire lounge in the backyard.

I’ll keep him.

Thanks, NITB, for the weekly gratitude reminder, and happy upcoming weekend to you all!

April 1, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 21 Comments

A Hellacious Belle’s Guide to the New South: Accent the Positive

Ah’m fixin’ to write this blog, y’all, for the a to z challenge. It’s just takin’ me a bit.

source

I was born in the South and learned to speak there, my earliest words lulled by languorous rhythms of low country loquacity, dusted with the twang of the North Georgia mountains, and balanced by the “get-to-the-business” patois of Birmingham and Atlanta.

I do have to confess to some inner valley girl swirled somehow into the middle; a hitchhiker, I suppose, from UGA college days long past. It’s like, who I am.

Some of us chose to hide our Southerness. Or mask it in our daily conversations, thinking the lack of a drawl makes us sound smarter, more educated. Traveled. Worldly.

But if we are from the South (and that South can run all the way from Delaware to parts of Texas and Arkansas) trust me: we have an accent. And the deeper you get into Dixie, the deeper it lies within the dweller; the broader it becomes, the more it brands who we are.

As children, we’re all yes’ems and no’ums, fixins and done gonnas, but once we’re off to college and maybe living outside the South in some nest o’ Yankees or Midwesterners, (or heaven help us, as a lonely expat in outrageous and truly foreign parts, like New York City or Los Angeles), many of us will barricade behind the safe sterility of carefully enunciated “Americanisms,” only spontaneously dropping our “g”s in the excitement of a promotion, “y’all”in’ all up while reminiscing about our childhood, returning to our every day lives from down home holidays with gifts of fudge, divinity and peanut brittle, along with some venison sausage that we let slip, “came from a deer our Deddy shot lass Fall.”

“My voice falls into Southern drawl when I am tired, drunk, or in trouble. Too often, my accent is attacked by all three of these realities.”
― Jennifer Harrison, Write like no one is reading

Much like Jennifer, my accent seeps out of me when I’m tired (and admittedly, the other two occasions as well) plus the rare opportunity that I’m actually speaking on the phone with a Southerner, especially an older woman. It’s like a secret password: “Hey, I’m one of y’all. I know the code.”

Source

You almost always hear my accent when I’m being charming, or flirty. Believe it or not, Time Magazine recently reported that a survey by dating site Cupid.com, voted the “sing-song honey sweetness” of the Southern accent as the country’s sexiest, and by a pretty significant margin.

Regardless, it’s part of me and defines me as a native of the Southern states of our nation. There’s history and tradition in my speech, an above-the-norm politeness and courtesy marks my words. The voices of my ancestors layer over the language of business and tech I speak daily at work; Southern “sugar” spins into words of endearment; the honeys, preciouses, sweeties, and darlins I use to address my beloveds and total strangers alike.

Oh, and I will use it to be annoying. Don’t get me wrong. The first time I sense someone is prejudging me as an Atlantan, or a Southerner in general; watching them don that patient look they might assume with the deliberately obtuse, the mentally challenged or the truly uneducated.

Game on.

And then I lay it thick. Sweet as honey, slow as molasses mixed with peanut buttuh. Just givin’ them folks what they’re expectin.’

Why, it’d be just plain rude to disappoint!

“I decided to deflect her attitude by giving a long, Southern answer. I come from people who know how to draw things out. Annoy a Southerner, and we will drain away the moments of your life with our slow, detailed replies until you are nothing but a husk of your former self and that much closer to death.”
― Maureen Johnson, The Name of the Star

March 29, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 8 Comments

Always “After” Me Lucky Charms – The Tardy Paddy’s Party

Everybody loves a party, but there is something about a Southerner that makes them ~~reach~~ lunge for any excuse to celebrate.

We’ve always focused on our Scottish ancestry (David’s a Douglas and I’m a Ferguson) but I do, at least, have some Irish heritage as well (McCormick on my Daddy’s side, should anyone require legitimacy.)

Just knowing us and our obsession with entertaining should have removed any minutia of surprise from the minds of friends and family when I announced we were adding St. Paddy’s Day to our list of annual gatherings.

After all, while based on a Irish religious observance, the modern holiday is truly an American celebration.

source

For us, an excuse to shake off the winter “blahs,” invite over a bunch of good friends, serve up a mess of great food and drink and enjoy a little festivity! (And the perfect excuse to dig out the green wig I bought years ago for another St. Patrick’s party)

March 17th, the actual St. Patrick’s Day, was out – it was mid-week and I had an enormous event at work, so we settled on a Post-Paddy Party the following weekend.

I love researching and designing menus, so I did some digging and came up with a Gaelic-inspired repast – thanks to some inspirational food blogs (please click through for the recipes):

Grab a plate and a cup!

Irish Guinness Lamb Stew

Cheddar and Guinness Fondue with dunk-able ham cubes, croutons, apples and fresh veggies

Stuffed Baby Red Potatoes with Cheese and Bacon

Smoked Salmon Dip served with assorted crackers

Kale and Spinach Greek Yogurt dip served with European Cucumber chips. (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s but click the link for a delicious home-made version.)

Jeeves, our trusty alligator butler, offered revelers a “Lucky Charm” libation at the door

For bevs, we had our usual offering of red and white wines, a selection of Irish beers (Harp, Guinness) and a little sparkler I whipped up with fresh mango juice, cava and a dash of Emerald Green Tropical Punch Gatorade (shameful, I know, but the color gave it the zingy tone I was looking for).

Some lovely supplements to the spread were brought by friends:

Dana’s homemade Irish Soda bread (complete with holographic butterfly – he likes to add that “extra touch.”

Laura and Paul's tasty Guinness chocolate cake with Bailey's Irish Cream Icing! (and holographic butterfly - Dana had an extra.)

Laura and Paul’s tasty Guinness chocolate cake with Bailey’s Irish Cream Icing! (and holographic butterfly – Dana had backup.)

And we dug in, drank up and had a wonderful time! Kudos to David for the spectacular Irish Stew!

Gathered in the kitchen enjoying Irish Lamb Stew and soda bread

Gathered in the kitchen, tucking into some Irish Lamb Stew and soda bread

Some of our Paddy’s Party players!

Enjoying the nosh!

Someone always has to play with the kiddy toys…

Some, more than others.

Happy hosts! That’s me in the green wig. (any excuse)

We had an amazing time – blasting Irish party tunes, talking, laughing, telling stories way into the wee hours. Absolutely fantastic party.

And then there was the after ~~party~~ math. ::sigh::

the 5 a.m. clean up party

The wee green beastie retired again til next year

And the wee green beastie is retired again til next year

Slàinte mhath, y’all!

March 26, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 7 Comments

Three Things Thursday (gasp!) – Actually on Thursday, March 26, 2015

I can’t believe that I’m actually posting my weekly contribution to the lovely Nerd in the Brain’s Three Things Thursday Challenge on the day it’s due (and not lame and belatedly later that week.)

I am such an overachiever! At least, this morning. So in no particular order, three things this week that made me smile:

Surprise breakfast at work! They had an event planned for 10 people and only 6 showed up so there were very tasty brekkkie leftovers for the rest of us. Yum!

My orchid is blooming! All five plants are budding, but this is the first to blossom.

Atlanta dabbled with Spring a few days this week – my co-worker and I took a stroll to the Fairlie-Poplar district of downtown to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. (Wait! Is that dude flipping me off?!!??)

Bonus! And there was pizza, at a sidewalk cafe.

Thank you again, NITB, for your wonderful inspiration! I hope you all have had a lovely week with many things to be happy about!

March 21, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 9 Comments

Three Things Thursday (Saturday): March 21, 2015

Oh, the shame.

Once again, my weekly contribution to Ms. Fabulous Nerd in the Brain’s Three Things Thursday is dawdling into the blog arena on Saturday like a lethargic slug. (Do slugs dawdle? Hmmm. It’s time for coffee.)

Anyhow, my week was filled with stressy work stuff, and way too many events. I told my boss I was calling in “well” on Friday, and I did. So the first major “happy” of the week: much needed day off.

This is my "generic" gleeful face photo shot. David thought I should have for for whenever someone finally buys me a pony.

Insert my “generic” gleeful face photo. David thought I should practice for whenever someone finally buys me a pony.

The big happy of this week is that we are having a little dinner party tonight with some good friends, that we are calling, “Tardy to the Paddy’s Party,” because last week when it was actually St. Patrick’s Day, it was also too nutty at work to try to celebrate anything. Since photos from tonight’s event will most likely appear next ~~Thursday~~ Saturday for Three Things Thursday, I can show you some happy “getting ready for the party” shots.

Irish inspiration for the morning java

Arranging flowers (btw, Mark Bialczak, Trader Joe’s has awesomely inexpensive flowers) for the dinner table.

Daffodils, hydrangea, tulips and cala lilies

In honor of the first day of spring:

Jeeves, alligator butler and bearer of “Springtime.”

Hopefully, Spring is springing up wherever you are! Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day and Happy weekend!

March 14, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 9 Comments

Three Things Thursday: (Saturday) March 14, 2015

As always, a little tardy to the party with this week’s Three Things ~~Thursday~~ Saturday, a lovely challenge from Nerd in the Brain, encouraging you to post 3 things that made you smile this week, “an exercise in gratitude.”

We were in Augusta this past weekend, visiting my Mom-in-law, Linda, and had an opportunity to check out a new restaurant (for us at least) the 5 O’clock Bistro, downtown, off of Central.

My mom-in-law, enjoying dinner and the show!

Tasty food and an awesome band – the live music was fantastic! Stand up bass, guitar, and electric violin, with super talented guys: The Henry’s. It was a really lovely treat. (and there was tiramisu!)

While we were in town, we also had a chance to visit my husband’s sister and her 9 gorgeous kids. So fabulous to see my beautiful nieces and nephews!

They are all so smart, charming, talented and beautiful – I am very thrilled to be their Aunt Kim!

Wednesday morning found me enjoying a rare sunrise from the High Up, Twirley Place, with a 7 a.m. call for a corporate breakfast. The light and colors of the sunrise were truly magical.

Not magical enough to get me up every morning, but still, pretty awesome to see.

So, some lovely moments this week I’m grateful for – thank you, Nerdy for the inspiration!

March 6, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 6 Comments

Three Things Thursday: March 5, 2015

Happy to be back again for Nerd in the Brain’s Three Things Thursday (an exercise in gratitude!) with a few things that brought me joy this week.

My good friend, Colleen and her husband Gary were visiting this from San Francisco and came by for dinner on Sunday. David made his famous Cuban-style beans and rice and we had a wonderful evening hanging out by the fireplace and chatting til they had to vamoose to Hartsfield to catch their plane.

Tuesday was a sad day for me, since it marked the sixth year of the passing of one of my closest friends, Nkoyen. There was happiness, too, in a bittersweet way, as people came together on social media to share words of love and support to friends and family.

I was able to connect with our friend Beth for a little memorial dinner and we laughed through the tears telling wonderful stories of our exploits and adventures. Despite the staggering loss, there is the blessing that she was in my life for the time that we had, and that her friendship and memories are still a part of who I am.

And on a wildly trivial note, the restaurant we went to was Bone Garden Cantina, one of my favorite restaurants in the world, and there was elote, which chippered me up considerably.

Thank you, Nerd in the Brain, for the opportunity to share some happy things. Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

March 1, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 18 Comments

Family Jewels

I’ve had a rather rough week emotionally, so when a friend emailed me on Tuesday and asked if I would set up a jewelry booth at a pop-up art shop she was hosting this weekend, I got a little excited.

Bless her heart, this sweet woman engages in the kind belief that I’m organized and make jewelry on a regular basis, with enough inventory on hand to do a booth with a week’s notice – her thought that my only outlay would be the time on Sunday to set up and sell my work.

Actually, I had no inventory at all when she contacted me (I gave pretty much everything I had made away as holiday gifts), but I felt a sudden need for an artistic challenge, something to get my head out of my #$$ and end my current pity party.

I said, “Sure! Absolutely!” and jumped right on Etsy and started ordering some supplies. I figured I’d get everything by Thursday and have about 3 days to put together 20-25 pieces (earrings, necklaces and bracelets) for the art shop.

I started designing jewelry about eight years ago, right after I sold my club and was looking for the next direction for my life to take. Any type of large-scale uncertainty makes me quite a bit twitchy. Crafting jewelry requires (at least for me) a tunneled focus, a channeled muse and small and somewhat soothing repetitive gestures, with the added bonus of the visual and tactile delight of gemstones and crystals.

It’s ultimately an amazing form of therapy for me and I really enjoy the act of creating. I would do it more, but I always have the excuse of working too much, spending too little time as is with husband and friends, trying to consistently write a blog…

Therefore my big ol’ box of jewelry making junk typically makes an appearance only around birthdays and holidays.

Well, maybe something for a special dress or new outfit, but I’ve learned that anything I make for myself tends to get conscripted by my Mom. How do you say no to your Mom?

Of course, my supplies didn’t come in on Thursday. They came in Saturday afternoon. As in yesterday, Saturday afternoon, the day before the Sunday pop-up shop.

David and I sat up ’til after midnight last night watching the new season of House of Cards on Netflix, while I hunched over small piles of rocks and twisted wires scrabbling them together until I had what I thought was enough of a display for a small show.

But of course, I woke up around 7 a.m. and felt guilty that I didn’t have enough stuff to give my friend variety for her event, so I made coffee, curled up in front of the fireplace and made a few more pieces.

When I realized it was time for me to get ready to leave for the show, it occurred to me that I hadn’t checked my phone all morning.

Sure enough, there was a text message from my friend.

The pop-up shop was cancelled for today, sorry for the late notice.

Oh well, vie la c’est. I feel much happier and more relaxed. My “creative” has been let out.

David and I had fun running around this morning outside in the freezing mist to take pictures of the jewelry I made (natural light tends to show color best) and I know they will reschedule the art shop in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I have new jewelry to wear.

I got to watch 3 episodes of the new House of Cards.

Should I provoke the thought, I have enough product to maybe open that Etsy shop I’ve been meaning to do for a few years now. I would love to do something where I could make a little moolah and donate part of the profits to Atlanta Lab Rescue, a group I volunteer for.

And, I had a blog topic for today.

With photos.

And bling.

A veritable treasure chest of “win” and a “jewel in my crown.”

(Aarrghh. Sorry.)

February 24, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 5 Comments

Share Your World – 2015 Week 8

This week’s questions from Cee’s weekly “Share Your World” blog prompt:

Your favorite blog post that you have written? (add link)

“We are Martial.”

There are two, and for very different reasons. I think “We Are Martial” is the funny (to me at least), quippy kind of writing I wish I could do more of.

“Missing Nkoyen” is a tribute to my best friend Nyk, who passed away five years ago. It’s far from a worthy tribute to all that she was to so many of us, but it’s just one effort, as e.e. cumming, said, to carry her heart with me, “to carry it in my heart.”

What do you feel is the most enjoyable way to spend $500? Why?

A big dinner party at home or at a restaurant with a bunch of friends. Eating and drinking while spending time with people I love is one of my favorite things in the world to do.

We host dinner parties all the time, from our big Burn’s Supper in January, to St. Paddy’s Day dinners, Easter soirees, and 4th of July barbeques to food-themed movie nights, like “The Breakfast Club,” (with pancakes and bacon) and “Dr. No” (with Dark and Stormys and Key Crab Cakes.)

Burn’s Supper

If you could know the answer to any question, besides “What is the meaning of life?”, what would it be?

I think I would ask for direction on what my dream job would be and how I would go about getting it. I love designing events and creating images and stories for brands and social media. It would be amazing to write every day as part of my job. I wish I could combine them all and get a realistic paycheck.

Where do you eat breakfast?

When I’m with my husband, who usually cooks, we will eat in front of the fireplace in the winter, or on bar stools at the kitchen island. Otherwise, I might scarf down a bagel at my desk at work.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

For last week, I am grateful that it didn’t snow or ice over because I had so many events at work that would have been cancelled or negatively impacted. (Note: this is changing as we speak, as winter weather descends on us once again. There are events that could still be cancelled or negatively impacted. Dammit.)

This week coming up? See Question 2: I am looking forward to a big brunch with friends on Sunday, followed by dinner with other friends visiting from out of town. Yay!

February 23, 2015 by kimicalreaction - 6 Comments

Bulldawgs and Yellow Jackets: Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

This week, Cee asks that you find photo inspiration in the chorus of the song, My Favorite Things:

When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel so bad.

Since I live in the city of Atlanta, in the Land of College Football, my immediate thought on reading these lyrics was the intense rivalry between our two state university teams, the Georgia Bulldogs (dog bites!)

image source: sports-logos-screensavers.com

and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (bee stings!).

image source: sports-logos-screensavers.com

Which brought back wonderful memories of football games at my alma mater, the University of Georgia.

Tailgating! Image source: some random dude (my camera and ticket stub, though) Photo “collage” by me.

(As you may gather by the hair styles and price of student tickets, this was quite some time ago. Look, is that a dinosaur in the background!?!)

Image source: my college roommate, Beth.

I never spent much time watching the actual game, but watching all the people and hanging out with my “besties” amidst the excitement and fervor of a game day, was a highlight of my college experience. I’m very fortunate to count quite of a few of my college buddies as friends still today, and they are definitely a source of support and joy, in good times and bad.

Recently, I acquired some new happy images to associate with the Georgia Bulldogs.

My husband, who also went to Georgia, dug out an old Bulldogs blanket to make a bed for our sweet foster pup, Beau, who is rapidly becoming part of our hearts and our family.