Never too tired for Ebay Monday!

I had big plans to post my outfit and tell you fun details of the big party we went to Saturday night today. I am still dragging and knocked out tired.... I am sadly no longer built for the out until 3 am kind of fun!! I can't find my camera either which is a problem and I am too lazy to go searching so today, I give you, more randomness ;) I'll try to get my act together for tomorrow.

I really, really, really love ebay. I buy things off it all the time!! One of my favorite things to do is look up old toys and things I remember from my childhood. I usually don't buy these kinds of things but they are fun to look at! I think I'll make this a weekly Monday feature.

Today our focus is Avon products. My mom had an Avon lady who regularly came to visit us with the monthly booklet. The Avon book always had a page or 2 devoted to the kids and my sister and I would usually circle the whole page and beg my mom to get it all for us. Does anyone else remember these or am I old? (don't answer that) thanks! xo, Brie

loved the ice cream cone comb even though I couldn't get it through my thick hair! This looked especially cute poking out of the back pocket of your jordache jeans.

hi, who doesn't love an awesome pin with solid sweet honesty perfume in it??? That is one functional accessory if you ask me!

I had this lip gloss in chocolate!!
Come visit next Monday, for another trip down memory lane ;) xo, Brie

Sneak Peek into Last Night

We had a blast last night... an out until 3 am kind of blast last night. It was a surprise 40th for my friend Jeanette and I didn't dare mention it just in case she was reading the blog ;) More details to follow, but check out the band they are Veritigo USA a U2 tribute band! Awesome is an understatement! xo, Brie

Pay it Forward

Lisa of Milkshake Crafts and Sweet Inspiration recently held a fun little contest called Pay It Forward. Here's how it works...

I list a fun little prize on my blog. See below. Anyone who comments on this post is eligible to win! Only catch is you have to Pay It Forward. By entering you agree to host your own little give away. I am not a super stickler for the rules, but come on, this is nice and easy :) If you have a blog and are crafty - great, do it there! If you don't, just do something nice for someone else and come back and tell us about it here :) See? Easy peasy! Warm and fuzzy!

2 Winners can choose any braided headband they like! Good luck :D xo, Brie



you can peruse a full selection here! I'll even do a custom request b/c that's how much I like you :) http://keeksandbrie.com/list_bags.asp?CATEGORY=63
ETA: Winner will be announced sometime April 2!

and the winner is.....

Just got back from Nordstroms and had a very overwhelming little shopping spree for myself. I hate shopping alone and I really love a kind worded but brutally honest opinion and my mom and sisters live too far. A big thank you to the girl who helped me at Nordstroms - you were great! Thank you for not bursting out laughing at me as tried on 30 pairs of jeans and hemmed and hawed and hemmed and hawed some more.

I finally decided on a pair by a designer I had never heard of (that means nothing b/c I can be dumb in this dept) named David Khan. David takes pity on me and my muffin top and makes his jeans not so low rise. He also takes special care to make sure I can button my size 8 without having to lay down and use a coat hanger on the zipper. This could be a tailoring trick but I don't care... David you rule!

I also got a cute swing top from the Limited who has been hooking me up with cute tops since 1984! I'll post a pic of the whole ensemble later.... now I am really psyched for the party :)

Have a great w/e! xo, Brie

PS don't tell Mr. KB but I also got these by Jag. They were a lot less $$ than the others and when you find good jeans that actually fit you well it's hard to turn your back on them. These are more casual looking in person that than my other pair.

Dungaree Friday

I am in quite a rush today so this will have to be short and sweet. I am going to be attending a super fun party tomorrow night. I can't give out too many details just yet, but best believe I'll spill it on Monday.

This is going to be a "cool" party at a nice place with a rock band. I have no idea what to wear. Everyone is saying "nice jeans" or like my mom would call them "dungarees" -Hilarious!

I have decided to finally pony up for some cute nice jeans and if they make me look skinnier, even better! I wish I had posted this before b/c I could sure use some input before I head off to Short Hills on my dungaree quest - a few friends have suggested Citizens of Humanity, but I would really love some blog world input if you have any knowledge on the subject (even if you don't, that's fine too!) You will be surprised to learn that while I love to online shop, I loathe mall shopping!

Here's to hoping I don't go for the full Jersey Tuxedo look - lol! xo, Brie

Duh!

These are what truly inspired my Spring post and I forgot to include them! Time for some ginkgo biloba or better yet a huge pot of strong coffee!

It's chilly and drizzling here. The signs of Spring are here but it feels far away today. Baseball practice has been cancelled... they boys are NOT happy. xo, Brie

Play Ball!

A couple of great signs that Spring is on the way!



First up the boys have their first baseball practice of the 08 season tonight and are out of their minds excited about it. I am out of mind excited that they are on the SAME team this year which means less driving for mommy. They are 19 months apart so every other year they get to play on the same team - the best! We are a big baseball lovin family.

Next check out this :) my forsythias and lilacs are starting to bloom and bud up!








Oh yeah and this guy is EVERYWHERE!

All systems are go! Now if we could just get some warmer temps here in NJ we'd really be in business. I am really looking forward to putting some color back in my yard and cleaning up this pathetic looking unloved garden that looks like it belongs to Morticia Addams! They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious, and spooky....... xo, Brie

How embarrassing!! Hopefully the "after" shot will make up for this pitiful "before" ;)

In Case you Missed it....

Best performance (to me anyway) David Cook was a very close second.

I give you, Country's husband :)

American Idol Time!

Well... last night was better for sure, I think we all needed it too after listening the Beatles songbook get destroyed not one, but two weeks in a row!

I have a lot of thoughts r/g last night's show (what else is new?) here's the breakdown in order of appearance :)

1. Ramiele - what the?????? Love that song, you didn't sing it too well. I understand you are sick, I think you'll have a lot of time to convalesce at home b/c you are leaving us tonight.

2. Jason - I still really, really like you. You need to not talk so much in the interviews (wee bit painful to watch) You also need to step it up a bit, I think people will start to get bored.

3. Seyesha - the judges seemed to like you, I don't know the song you sang. I was bored.

4. Jacuzzi - you have been growing on me the last 2 weeks. I actually liked your Beatles performances. Stay upbeat, lose the Luther, you're better when you're peppy.

5. Brooke - I still really, really like you too. You're falling into the same trap as Jason my other fave - you need to bring it to the next level.

6. Michael - You KILLED tonight. I suggest you angle Queen songs every week. LOVED IT! I also loved that you were born in the 70's like me, these youngins don't know how to choose good songs.

7. Carly - I would have much preferred if you had done the Total Eclipse from Old School (aka Dan Band's rendition) Don't worry I sang it along with you and did that version over you. It was much better :) and ps... what on earth was that last show off note??? SO uncalled for and basically left me feeling mad.

8. David Archuleta - Mr KB thought for sure you'd sing a Backstreet Boys song b/c we thought you might be born in the late 90's :) That made me laugh! What the heck was that song you sang? You need to tell Dad to stay out of this and pick some cooler songs. I felt like I was watching Up with People at Knox Berry Farms.

9. Kristy Lee - I don't know what to say. You chose a sentimental song, I think you'll get through b/c of it.

10. David Cook - I declared you a sleeper in this competition way back in the beginning. I find him to be the most radio "friendly" of the whole top 10. Your voice was so on point last night, but such sacrilege to sing someone else's cover of Michael Jackson!!! The judges thought you took a risk, I say you played it safe. A risk would have been doing Michael's version and I believe you would have pulled it off. Next time!

Ok, that's it folks! What did you think of last nights' show? AGAIN, I'm saying bye bye to Ramiele! xo, Brie

As Good as it Gets

Sorry folks, my 90 minute internet search to share scary Humpty Dumpty from Santa's Village in Jefferson, NH circa 1976 with you has been futile. I had so wanted to induce some sort of post traumatic stress syndrome on myself with him. My mother thinks he no longer there and has officially retired from his job of head nightmare maker. RIP Humpty.... xo, Brie

This guy in incredibly close... (no blue head though, just a big giant white alien head)

Childhood Fears

This is so random... but last night Ms. C had all her Easter books rounded up from a few nights ago and wanted to read them before bed. One of the books is about Peter Cottontail recruiting the help of nursery rhyme characters to get ready for Easter. Here is the book... it's really cute.

I have always been a little obsessed with nursery rhymes. My gramma gert used to always give me books about them. I loved them! Some really freaked me out too like Humpty Dumpty and the one about the blackbirds "snipping off a nose" - scary!

Back to the bedtime story... in this book Humpty Dumpty is a bit of a hero b/c he sits so high on his wall, sees all, and helps the kittens find their mittens. Every time I see a picture of Humpty, I get this nervous feeling. Then I remembered why....

My parents used to take me to the Santa's Village or Santa's Land (something like that) and there was this HUMONGOUS Humpty statue that you could stand next to and get your picture taken with him. I was positively terrified of it and wouldn't come within 10 ft of him. I have got to find a picture of him so you can see how horrific he really is :)

Here are a few others I found that are almost as terrifying but not quite ;) Sweet Dreams :) xo, Brie

Today is the First Day...

of the new and improved me :) Mr. KB is starting a brand new job today and is back to a NYC commute. He has been working about 3 minutes away for the last 3 years. It wasn't as awesome as you might think b/c he put in a lot of long hours there but there were definitely some major perks! One of those perks was he would drive the 3 older kids to school everyday and now it's all back on me. I am going to take a positive approach and grab this new routine by the horns ;) It's time to get really organized around here! Stupid things like.... packing snacks and lunches the night before, and maybe actually being dressed before 7:30am! Bring it :)

Madras Caramel Horton Saturday

Here is what I am working on today.....in no particular order :)

these..............

http://www.keeksandbrie.com/list_bags.asp?CATEGORY=67

these...... (Easter breakfast)

http://keeksandbrie.blogspot.com/2007/12/mmmmmm-caramel-rolls.html

and this.....

Happy Saturday :) xo, Brie

It's Official....

cute chick pic courtesy of howlinhill flickr... love it!

Spring is here but it sure doesn't feel like it. It's windy and cold here in NJ :(

Nothing gets me in the mood for Spring like a little Lilly Pulitzer! I have been having a roller coaster relationship with Lilly the last couple of years b/c 1. I really believe you can have too much of good thing (this rule only applies to adults - it is always adorable on the kids) and 2. I do hate to pay full retail and her stuff is definitely pricey. I am a super sleuth on ebay and a whiz at sniffing out sales, so part 2 usually works itself out.

My mother in law was here yesterday and gave Kay and Ms. C the CUTEST Lilly dresses for Easter. She always finds really cute things, she is very stylish :)

For Kay..she got this ruffle sleeve dress - I am completely in love with it. Kay looks so great in too, she is very tall and very slim. I on the other hand might look like one of the hippos from Disney Fantasia in this, but on Kay it's perfect (and is longer in length on her than this model thank goodness!!!)

For Ms. C this adorable classic Lilly shift. I love the smocking and the petal sleeves.

As I was just browsing one of the Lilly sites, I have to say I love this strapless dress. I am bordering on too old for strapless but with a cute white cardigan this could be really cute if you had somewhere fun to go! It reminds me of a hostess cupcake, so I think that's why I like it! I would choose the navy one.

And last but not least, I had to laugh. Mr. KB would most definitely opt to be tarred and feathered over stepping out in this - ha!

all images property of Lilly Pulitzer/Sugartown Inc

Have a great w/e! We have lots of running around to do, so I'll check back in Monday! Happy Easter if you celebrate! xo, Brie

Chocolate Rain Declared a Winner!

AS if??????? I couldn't be happier! I discovered Tay about a year ago on you tube when I used to harass my younger cousins on my space. (They have since blocked me from their profiles or moved to facebook which I don't really "get" so I guess the fun there is officially over). But do enjoy the sounds today of AWARD WINNING Tay Zonday :) His original song CHOCOLATE RAIN is insane and will stay in your head all day, but it did score him an appearance on Jimmy Kimmell. Sorry..... I mean enjoy! xo, Brie


http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=8049738

Hey Fred, it's your birthday!

Remember this? Well today is the day! Thanks to Libby for reminding me!!! Let's hope Lady Elaine wears her sweater and stays inside her carousel house, I am not ready for another run in with her ;) xo, Brie

PS How adorable and sweet is HE???

Adieu to Ramiele

Your time is up... but seriously ANYONE could go. They brought their D game last night.... even my precious Jason Castro....sniffle, sniffle

Happy Birthday :)

Ok, for one day only.... promise to delete tomorrow. In honor of Ms. Keeks birthday, I have embedded a birthday wish to play for her. Just pretend your name is Jeff :) Have a great day, and I am sure you will now that this song will be in your head all day! You're welcome, happy birthday, love you :) xo, Brie (aka Captain Zoom)

Beatles night..... again?

Hey did I miss the memo? Why on earth are they doing this to us again? Kristy Lee, you are officially on notice, you better do them right (or at least better than last week which shouldn't be too hard). It feels just like deja vu!!! You know, the bad kind ;) xo, Brie


Post commentary on the show: I need a strong drink :) WHO'S bright idea was it to do back to back Beatles? WHO, WHO????? I'm takin names...................

Talbots Sale - Yahoo!!

I have been waiting patiently, patiently...... like a lion in the grass for this skirt. I decided to roll the dice and see if it went on sale and promised myself I would snatch it up immediately if and when it did. Well it's 30% off and it's officially mine :) They may even mark it down again which would be so cruel of Talbots to rub it in my face, but I have played this type of roulette before with them and lost out on the color or size I wanted.

While there I also picked up not one, but THREE of these shirts at 50% off. White and blue for me and a white for Kay. I think these will look cute with my new Lands End denim skirt too :)


On a completely unrelated note, one of my favorite shows TOP CHEF has started another season!! This is another great Bravo show - I won't bore you all with the details unless you want me too :) Does anyone else watch it? Well the season premiere was superb with a guest hosting from one of my favorites Rocco Di Spirito - I ♥ him!!!! Do try and catch it, it took Project Runway's time slot Wednesdays at 10pm.

cute, right???? xo, Brie

Happy St. Easter Day!

This early Easter has been so confusing to me. The kids have a ton of parties at school for St. Paddy's and Easter (they are not complaining!!) I takes me so long to lug out, set up, and take down decorations that I decided to only decorate for Easter because I have more Easter themed things. Not to snub St. Paddy.... check out my bunny on my front door!

Isn't this bunny this cutest? My grandfather made if for me out of wood a few years ago. His tail is a white toilet bowl brush. I love it!!

Kay had her St. Patrick's party at school today and I did a take on Ang's Irish flag suggestion with fruit instead of vegetables. I think it came out pretty cute! I had to put fruit fresh on the cut green apples (I didn't even know they still made that, but they do!) I also made a tasty fruit dip which isn't healthy at all but I couldn't resist the urge to green food color something. This dip is so good and easy..... take a container of sour cream (I used reduced fat) 1 package of instant vanilla pudding, some pineapple juice and whip with the hand blender.

ETA: Kay's home and said the platter was a huge hit and everyone loved the tasty dip! I'm telling you that is a keeper ;)

In keeping with our double celebrations all week, we had corn beef sloppy joes (Mr KB is out tonight so we celebrated yesterday) and dyed easter eggs after dinner.

Nothing says the Lord has risen like a dyed hard boiled egg wearing a C3PO mask (we had a Star Wars dye kit!!) This just makes me laugh every time I look at it!



Happy Monday! xo, Brie

The Dance, The Skirt, and a Little Ham

Kay loved the skirt and it looked really cute on. She had a fun time at the dance too! As I am uploading the pics to email to my mom - I notice Queen Ham down in the bottom right. The picture is blurry, Kay blinked, but it is too funny to delete! A picture really is worth a thousand words! xo, Brie

Getting ready to route the Hoyas to the Big East win! :)

Quickie Friday

Quickie post that is because in usual Brie style, I have completely overextended myself today. I got tagged today by One Fabulous Mom for my top 5 work out songs. No matter how crazy my to do list is, I can always squeeze in some quality procrastinating in the form of blogging fun! So here it goes... top 5 favorites to work out

5. Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake (this is a good one to slowly build your heart rate)

4. The Queen and I - Gym Class Heroes (poppy hip hop, they're awesome)

3. Another Nail in My Heart - Squeeze (yes I went to high school in the 80s)

2. You Just Haven't Earned it Yet Baby (Smiths remake by Kirsty MacColl)

1. Pump it - Black Eye Peas (come on, can't work out without the Peas)

How's that for a random 5? I like random!!!!

I also just stopped by Target for 3 things, walked out with 300 things and did a remix on this 9.99 jean skirt for my daughter to wear to her dance tonight! I think she is going to love it!

before

after the remix ;)

Have a great weekend!! I tag Misplaced Country, Ang, Kerry, Libby, and Nicolette quick, what are your top 5 work out songs :) xo, Brie

My Latest Arch Enemies.....

are you

and you

Get out of my life and stay out! You are undoing all the good I am trying to do in spin. I can't seem to pass you by without a strong magnetic attraction. Sugar intervention anyone?

Last night we said goodbye to David Hernandez. Nobody's crying either - even Ramiele was able to halt the water works so that is really telling. The big question remains.... Is Kristy Lee the next Sanjaya? Only time will tell ;) xo, Brie

I'm a little Frightened...

because Paula Abdul and I were on the same wavelength last night! I said it to Mr. KB - this is scaring me! He was scared too and asked me if by any chance I was on something as well :)



but..... Michael Johns was awesome last night! And this time FOR REAL, I really focused on his voice and tried not to get clouded by looking at him. He does the "cool" power ballad just right and when I say cool I mean Bohemian Rhapsody and Across the Universe. As opposed to the "corny" power ballad: ie It's all Coming Back to Me Now (David Hernandez, tsk tsk) Randy and Simon you were on something for not liking Michael Johns last night!



and of course my Jason Castro and Brooke White - love you. Think I might be in love with Jason, is it bad that he is half my age ;) I like them because they are no nonsense. If there's one thing I can't stand it's a show off... with all these runs and riffs eeeheeeheeeehee wooohooooohoooihohoo, save it sister! These 2 are purists and are sure to go far!



and finally Kristy Lee Cook... what on earth was that last night? Really, WHAT THE?????? Like Heidi would say - you are out! xo, Brie

PS if you like the Beatles (like me!) and would like to hear some of their songs sung properly by other artists... download the I am Sam soundtrack, it's killah ;)

Ring the Alarm!

before
Originally uploaded by kbbags

Fly Lady would call this little disaster area in my house a HOT SPOT. This little nook is in my kitchen and where my phone/answering machine is, impt school papers for the kids, checkbook, stamps, pen/pencil cup etc. It's my morning satellite office and in fly lady speak, it's a burning inferno. Or in Christian speak - one hot mess!

I can't take it no more! So, this morning the second the kids left for school... I cleared off EVERYTHING, wiped it down with some method spray, and grabbed a trash bag. I really don't love to throw things away (no idea why!) but Fly Lady sensei says to do it and do it quick without too much hemming and hawwing. I do as I'm told :)

As I weeded through this little disaster area I found some really funny things... here is a collection of my favorites!

As you can see there are some insane things here.... a lobster ornament, a bobbin, an airplane earplug, 2 jo malone sample sprays (score!), my little pony maraca (just in time for cinco de mayo), a clothespin, a tealight, 3 mismatched earrings, and a key that opens only God knows what! I also found 5.83 in coins. It's like an I spy game here.

oh yeah, and these..... DOH!

The Laser Tag birthday party thank you notes. As you can see, the Funplex takes the minimalist approach to thank you's which I am all for! The party was 3 weeks ago, I am sure the guests will be impressed that it took me this long to mail these incredibly complicated thank you notes.

and last but not least..... the after shot. Ah, I feel so proud and peaceful. One down, about 150 more hot spots to go :) xo, Brie

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SUPER IRISH!

Lovin this new shirt purchased from http://www.dirtcheapshirt.com/ recommended by Ang! I sprang for the long sleeves - it's a keeper. Warning though: I ordered a large and a medium would have done it. It is a large alright. Large enough for Paul Bunyan maybe, but who cares....I'm not just Irish, I'm SUPER IRISH ;) Can someone please get this superhero in the humongous tee shirt a Guinness? xo, Brie

No Bowling for You!

So we had torrential rain here in the afternoon followed by tornado force winds in the evening - just lovely! My sister and I thought it might be fun to take the kids bowling and we were quite looking forward to our own little sister grudge wwf smack down bowling battle royale! It wasn't meant to be :(

We arrived at the stinky bowling alley and after braving sideways rain to get to the entrance. We were kind of rudely "greeted" by the bowling alley lady with a gruff... "ARE YOU HERE FOR OPEN BOWL?" um, yes we are! "WELL, YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT AT LEAST AN HOUR AN A HALF" We were essentially scolded and I'm still not sure why - as if we stormed into Nobu with a party of 12 and no reservations on New Year's eve or something. Needless to say, the thought of hanging around the dark, mildewy, bowling alley with black lights and NOT bowling held very little appeal no matter how certain I was that I could whip my sister.



It was not a complete loss though, because upon leaving both my sister and I laid eyes at the same time on the most horrific video game, perhaps ever. What made it worse, was there were about 10 seven year old boys and some adults all gathered around and looked like they were having the time of their lives! The game - Big Buck Hunter Pro - here you can hold a rifle and aim it at all different kinds of very realistic looking wildlife drinking peacefully from a creek, or on a leisurely walk and SHOOT them. Charming! I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. I'm going to steal a label from Jules and call this "What the?" xo, Brie

Spring Forward!

Don't forget - we were supposed to turn our clocks forward last night :) My cable box just reminded me!

We had a WICKED wind storm last night.... it was so bad we thought it was a tornado. Power outage and lots of superficial damage to the house ... fence sections out, a few roof tiles gone, our storm door off the hinge. I still haven't surveyed it all just yet, but it was a little scary!!

Healthy Snack Ideas??

Many of you know at this point that I have 4 children. This makes "back to school night" a bit challenging because there are lots of places to be all at once. We usually start our oldest daughter's room first because she is our trail blazer and then work our way down. Only problem with this is by the time you get everywhere you need to be, all the party lists are all filled in - or the pickins are slim and dud slots are left. Which leads me to my latest quandary....

I signed up for the last spot for the St. Patrick's day party and got the dreaded "healthy snack". That's not that fun!!! My mind is clouded with visions of frosting and green food coloring and I'd like to bring in something a bit more fun than a bunch of grapes :) Anyone have any good ideas?

My Gramma Gert used to make this yummy lime jello salad with pineapple and apples. I love it. I know the fruit is healthy, but is the jello? Probably not, but who cares. It could be cute to make it in a leprechaun pot or something. The suggestion was not met with rave reviews by the kids. What to do, what to do......

In other news, my sister is visiting for the weekend!!! The weather is gross but we may take the kids bowling. It'll be a sibling brawl and she's going down ;)

Hoyas play at noon! xo, Brie

Big Girls Don't Cry

That's right Ramiele Malubay, I'm talking to you. You've got to cut it, people are getting annoyed. Here's my advice and you can take it for what it's worth. If you don't want to be sad and say goodbye to your friends on American Idol (you did know how the show works, right?) - then I suggest you buddy up with the better singers ;) xo, Brie