Bonjour Mes Amis

Hey guys, Amanda here.

As the newest member to the Kate Reed Designs family, I decided to write a little something about myself, so here it goes:

I'm a TCU graduate who majored in English and Advertising/Public Relations. I'm from Texarkana, but I loved Fort Worth so much (and since I will forever bleed purple) I decided to stay in the area. I love designing and being creative, but I'm also super organized, so my planner is always up to date and color coordinated.

I have a 6 month old puppy named Paris (as in France, not Hilton) who happily takes up most of my free time. She's a miniature American Eskimo (though she shakes in the cold weather. Pansy.) and is so full of energy, she wears me out just watching her, let alone chasing after her! I'm such a mom, though, and take pictures of her more than I do myself.  She's extremely social and more popular at my apartment complex than I am!

I have an older sister who is in Montana getting her PhD (smarty pants) and a younger brother who goes to UT in Austin, both of whom are my best friends. My parents are my role models and as scary as it is, everyday I notice something new about myself that I get from each of them (mostly in a good way).  I love to bake, but my favorite thing is traveling - I plan on being a world traveler, so watch out!

My inspiration comes from the simple things in life. I love looking at small things and items often overlooked and realizing how happy their simplicity makes me. I love the vintage 1920s feel and sometimes (or rather, most of the time) think I'm living in the wrong decade. I love bright colors that pop and clean, straight lines.

I am learning so much here and know I have more to go! Kara and Kat are my greatest mentors and are teaching me more than they know - I cannot wait to make my mark!

Au Revoir, mes amis :)

Saturday morning humor

I love this.  So funny and yet so true.  Thanks to my friend, Shannon, for sending some Saturday morning humor this way.

As for #11, I had great plans of printing Valentine cards today......not going to happen.  (There's always tomorrow)

Cheers!

Kara

The Adult Truths - Too Funny and Too True

 1. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die!

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.


15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.


16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Bud Lite than Kay.


17. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.


18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.


19. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?


20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong!


21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.


22. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.


23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.


24. The first testicular guard, the “Cup,” was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

What's for dinner tonight, Crock Pot Chicken Gumbo

After sending a tweet this morning about the greatest invention ever, The Crock Pot, I received many inquiries about the recipe for tonight's dinner.  I found it on Southern Food while doing a Google search on easy slow cooker recipes.  KRD has been in the studio working more than usual this week, so the Crock Pot was a perfect solution for a weeknight dinner.  I sure hope it tastes as great as my kitchen smells.  Our family isn't crazy about sausage, so I doubled the chicken.  Rice and a salad will be added and voila, dinner is served!

Chicken Crock Pot Gumbo

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 12 to 16 ounces smoked sausage, sliced about 1/2" thick
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 to 2 cups sliced okra
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• boiled white rice

Preparation:

For roux, in a heavy 2-quart saucepan stir together flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes more or until roux is dark reddish brown. Let roux cool.

Add chicken broth to a 3 1/2 to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in roux. Add sausage, chicken, okra, onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
Skim off fat. Serve with hot cooked rice.
Makes 6 servings.

My well-loved Crock Pot, 11 years and still kicking!

mmmm.....

Happy Thursday everyone, off to Dallas for market tomorrow.  More next week.....

Cheers!

Kara

Blogs Blogs Blogs

We love everything about blogs - from writing them to following them, to writing about those we follow! We just got on Bloglovin which helps us see when our favorite blogs are updated. It's pretty awesome.

And now that we're on, you can follow our blog with bloglovin anytime by clicking the icon at the top of our sidebar!

Never heard of Bloglovin? Check out this video:

A Jump on the New Year!

SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE!

January can sometimes feel like a dead month after celebrating on New Year's Eve and the first, but not at Indie Genius. For the entire month of January, the whole place will be the site of one huge sale. And that means everything!

I'll be out working our booth tomorrow from 11-3, so come check it out, say hello, and take advantage of the sale. Who says nothing is ever going on sale the first month of the year?

SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE!

KRD in My Girl Thursday

We were so excited to be in My Girl Thursday last week on Thursday of course!  Chantilly McKinnon of Ontario, considers herself a "lifelong thrifter" who is inspired by things old and sometimes forgotten.

Check out last Thursday's blog.  Thanks Chantilly.  We look forward to reading more!
Latest Obsession:  Letterpress 




Cheers and Happy 2011!
Kara