Friday with Kay!

While I do not consider myself a slave to trends, I am very cognizant of staying fresh and current in the interior design world. I try to be the same way when it comes to my wardrobe. As I've said before, I can't make homes beautiful if I don't look sassy and part of that is dressing classically but with a current flair.

Today I wore J. Crew's cropped "Minnie" pants, navy and silver C. Wonder heels, a white Theory blouse, and an Hermes scarf.

One of my favorite reps who I have known for about 20 years visited our office this morning to show us his normal lines and the new Scalamandre collection that he recently signed on to rep. I was so excited to see the Scalamandre---they have long been one of my favorite fabric houses for the "wow-factor" fabrics that I work into my designs.

Love how their Fall 2015 collection is portrayed in their promotional photos.

images via Scalamandre.com

After my vendor meeting, I went on to lunch with Mother, which I have done every single Friday for the last 25 years. And I do mean, EVERY Friday. Every once in a while I will have to jaunt to Dallas on a Friday for a design emergency and there is Mommy, trooping along with me!

After lunch, I balanced my checkbook. I am very traditional and still balance my checkbook once a month. 

Tonight I am serving crab cakes with a spinach salad for dinner. Like I have said, I do cook every night, but I feel it is important to convey that sometimes I do take "short-cuts" and zero in on something a bit easier---especially after a long week. A good lifestyle is all about balance and this balance of from scratch cooking and short-cut cooking helps me tremendously. 

Friday is the only day I pick up something fresh at the market instead of taking something pre-purchased out of the freezer to cook.

A favorite recipe is picking up crab cakes at Central Market with their remoulade sauce. I bake them at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. I make a simple spinach salad with bacon crumbles, salted pecans and Italian dressing.

It is such a fresh, simple meal and my family loves it!

image via Chron.com

This Jeffrey Osborne song reminds me of working on the floor back when I was with Bloomingdales in my 20's. Such a classic and it still puts me in a great mood!

Another Day in the Life of Kay!

Like I've said before, every day in the life of Kay is a little bit different. Some days are spent with clients, some days are spent pouring over plans, some days are spent picking furniture, fabric or finishes.

Today I'm wearing a Helmut Lang blouse with a Nanette Lepore skirt and black patent J. Crew flats.

I bought my skirt on sale during one of Neiman Marcus' mid-day dashes. If you don't know about Mid-Day Dash, it happens around lunchtime every weekday and they have these flash sales that only last a couple of hours. They have great stuff on there and I've found some fabulous things!

Tonight, Mackenzie and I are going to a birthday party for one of our favorite clients (we fall in love with a lot of our clients) who is having a big birthday so I spent a few minutes this morning wrapping her present. Gift wrapping is one of my many talents, left over from years of working retail!

My bows have been likened to party hats.

My first stop was my counter fabricator's studio to look at plans for a new home build and go over all the counter tops in the house and what amounts were needed.

Later in the day I went to the framer. The bunnies are a beautiful piece of fabric that I'm having framed and giving to a client/friend as a gift.

The ladies were found recently in a trunk that had been up in an attic for about 35 years. They are from the 1950's or early 1960's and were given to me by a friend.

I was trying to decide between gold or black frames--- I look at different options when I'm framing to discern the best choice.

I ended up going with the black---I love the crisp quality of the contrast.

Hudson Moore is a local artist that I love---This song is one of my favorites to listen to.
All of his music is happy and fun----It puts a smile on my face!

If you don't know his music, be sure to look him up, it is all great.

The Attitude Lamp.

In this day and age, everyone wants to know what sets you apart from the rest of the population.

What makes you a good designer? What makes you a good cook, or a good mother?

What do you do differently?

One of the unique things I bring to my clients and my loved ones are what I call "Kay-isms".

If you look back carefully over my past blog posts, you'll pick them out here and there.

They're funny words or phrases that I've either picked up or made up along the way.

One of my favorite Kay-isms is what I call an "Attitude Lamp".

Now, when I first mention attitude lamps to a new client or friend, they usually look at me 

and say "What?! What's that?"

Allow me to translate.

An attitude lamp is a small lamp with lots of personality. I put them any and everywhere. In bookshelves, on counters under cabinets, on small tables---the list goes on.

I sometimes find new attitude lamps, but my favorites are antique versions, made of small objects or vases.

Here are a few examples from one of my favorite antique stores, East & Orient in Dallas.

You might say that attitude lamps are one of my favorite pieces of decor, 

as they are sprinkled all over my own home.

I bought this bronze figurine at K. Flories Antiques in Fort Worth and had it turned into a custom attitude lamp.

This one is an antique piece of Staffordshire that came from England. It casts such a pretty light on my collection of antique boxes.

 I bought this marble lamp at the flea market in New York.

I had this vase made into an attitude lamp years ago. I inherited the vase from Nannie, my dad's mother---It was from China. I casts a beautiful light on my collection of Herend.

Attitude lamps are wonderful for placing amongst your collections.

This bronze dog is probably my favorite lamp in my house. I spotted him at a flea market in Paris back when I worked for The Market. Unfortunately, my boss at the time liked him as much as I did and bought him for the shop. When we returned to Texas, he decided to let me have him---I was absolutely overjoyed. He is displayed proudly in my breakfast room and reminds me daily of Paris.

This antique barley twist candlestick is from England and I had it made into a lamp.

Today was a Dallas Day and I wore a dress that I consider to be an Oldie but a Goodie from Ann Taylor, with gold Coach heels and a necklace that was given to me as a gift.

I was dancing so hard to this Robin Thicke song this morning while drying my hair that by the time I finished I was sweating. Sometimes a song will really get me grooving and it starts my day off perfectly!

Leaving Sugar Behind----Dancing all the Way!

Love this Vivian Green quote.

Two years ago in August, my assistant Mallory was retiring and training my new assistant Mackenzie. At some point in their three week overlap, I had my annual appointment at the lady doctor. I had a major bone to pick with him that day. I had been steadily gaining weight over the last seven years, and the upward trend I was on was not a good plan.

I told him that I didn't understand the weight gain. I am a creature of habit to an almost comical degree---I have literally been eating the same lunch (chicken salad on lettuce or spinach) for the past 

20 years. I was eating a modest breakfast and healthy dinners. Save for my glass of chardonnay at night and the occasional piece of dark chocolate following lunch, my eating habits were not riddled with indulgence. 

My doctor took out my chart and showed me my weight fluctuation over the last 10 years---about 7 pounds give or take---Doesn't seem like a lot, but my clothes were tight and I was unhappy with that. For someone who had been "naturally" thin all of my life, it was not something I was willing to give up on.

I promptly went back to the office and told my two assistants that my doctor had just told me to live with being "fat and happy."

 Here I was over the last couple of years---Thin by most people's standards but struggling to fit

into my clothes.

About a year later I was laying by the pool at Rivercrest next to a woman doctor I am acquainted with. I told her about my visit to the doctor, and how my doctor had told me not to worry---that slight weight gain was just part of getting older.

She asked what I ate on a typical day and I told her.

Breakfast: 1 Banana, 1 egg , a small glass of grapefruit juice and coffee with skim milk and Splenda

Lunch: Chicken salad on Spinach with no dressing

Post Lunch: A piece of Dark Chocolate

Pre-Dinner: Chardonnay and Crackers 

Dinner: A protein, a veggie and a starch.

"You're starting your day with sugar," she said matter of factly.

That hadn't even occurred to me. My banana, grapefruit juice and coffee with milk and Splenda had

seemed to be a healthy, well-balanced breakfast, but come to think of it, fruit was sugar, fruit juice was straight sugar and the milk had sugar in it.

She suggested I try an egg with a tiny bit of cheese and a piece of regular bacon. She also suggested I switch to hot tea.

So I did. 

Over the next few months, I cut out most all of my carbs and sugar. 

For Breakfast I ate an egg, sometimes with a pinch of cheese, and bacon.

For lunch, I continued my daily chicken salad on greens ritual.

For Dinner, I cut out the starch I had been serving and instead served my protein with a vegetable and a simple salad, dressed with olive oil and vinegar.

I replaced my daily chocolate with Russell Stover's sugar free chocolates--which come in several varieties.

I still drink my nightly Chardonnay, but instead of crackers, I'll now eat a handful of nuts---the protein and good fats counteract the sugar in the wine.

The results have been so amazing.

I've lost 20 pounds over the last year. I am fitting into dresses I haven't fit into in YEARS. 

I feel great, look better and have more energy.

All from making a few simple changes.

No carbs and no sugar. 

As easy as that.

Here I am over the last few months.

And a picture from today!

This Kenny Loggins song reminds me of the Spring of 1979---I weigh only 8 pounds more than I did then at the ripe young age of 19. Imagine that. 

No one tells this tall blonde she can't do something.

Fabulous TCU Weekend!

As I mentioned on Friday, this weekend was TCU Parent's weekend and I spent all of it with 

my precious girl, Riley.

Friday night we headed to Lonesome Dove for a big group dinner.

It was such fun to see all of Riley's Tri-Delt friends (who I adore---what a darling group of girls) and their parents who traveled from all over to be there.

One of my favorite pictures from the weekend.

Love my girl. 

The big group of Tri-Delts!

After dinner, we went home with a few friends and put on Riley's middle school talent show videos

which was too hysterical for words.

Of course I was singing and dancing along to every performance.

Riley even caught me on candid camera.

On Saturday we went to a party at a Tri-Delt house (there are five girls that live there) for lunch and 

pre-tailgate cocktails.

It was the "white-out" game at TCU this weekend, so most everyone had one a combination of purple and white.

Had so much fun with Riley and her friends! 

After the party we moved on to the tailgate. It was a great crowd and a great time.

The game was a tough one, and great victory for TCU against SMU.

Riley's custom boots are from Luskey's and mine are from Leddy's, both in

Fort Worth.

After halftime, we went for drinks and h'ordeuvres in 

the bar at Rivercrest.

After a fun parent's weekend, I treated myself to a new dress yesterday.

This dress inspired today's song of the day choice, as any Monday with a new dress from Neiman Marcus is in fact, a lovely day.