Category Archives: Field Trip

07.27.11

The Grand Daddy Hotel.

The Grand Daddy Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa is certainly making it’s mark on the hotel industry.  This swanky yet playful hotel has put a new twist on the old trailer park.  The Daddy is famous for it’s Airstream Rooftop Trailer Park.  It’s seriously amazing.

Let’s take a looksie at the interiors, shall we?  Each Airstream was custom designed by local artists.

I want to go there, now.

07.19.11

The Southern Recap.

Well, vacation is officially over.  We had such a great time.  Our time in Savannah was spent with a lot of golf cart rides to the pool.
When you ask the girls about their favorite part of our trip, it was hands down, the golf cart.  They would take morning rides with Pop-Pop to go see the dolphins.. what a great memory that they will carry with them forever.
 We spent time by the water…..
Although on this particular evening a storm was brewing, and by the time we left it was getting a little bit windy.
It was HOT, but we stayed cool with water balloon fights
and lots of Italian Ice at the pool (I think the girls had blue mouths the entire vacation.)
We spent an afternoon downtown and visited the Manolo Blahnik exhibit by SCAD.  (Savannah College of Art and Design) has brought so much culture and life to downtown Savannah.   The girls really enjoyed this exhibit (and why wouldn’t they— it’s SHOES!)
As we all know, Sex and the City put Manolos on the map- so it’s only natural to have a Sex and the City gallery of shoes.
We visited some of my favorite stores in Savannah
like the Paris Market.
These butterflies caught my eye.
Next was DC2 Design.
and finally Shop SCAD.
I loved spending time in this store.  So many interesting pieces, all created by SCAD students.
I bought some items to hang on the girls’ walls in their rooms… more on that later.
After the weekend, we were off to Charleston!  Just two Salmons, our Crown Victoria, and the open road.  Everyone on the highway thought we were a cop in our Crown Vic, so they moved on out of our way.  We made record time.
We stayed at the Market Pavillion Hotel, and could not have been happier.  The service was amazing!
Chillaxed at the rooftop pool.
and had a few frosted beverages.
Spent some time shopping on King Street.  One of my favorite stores was South of Market.
They fit so many amazing pieces in this tiny little space!
I bought one of these beautiful turquoise wool throws.
 Next, I stopped in a boutique called Worthwhile.  I fell in love with these Kcymaerxthaere folklore panels.  A little background:  Artist Eames Demetrios first shared his stories with the people of Penduka, a women’s group in Windhoek, Nambia.  The skilled embroiders began to render fragments of the three different stories told by Demetrios.  Only 151 of each story will be available as a limited edition.  Each story panel is embroidered by a member of the Penduka collective.  Proceeds of each sale go back to the women of Penduka.  I loved the one in the frame, but it was glued into the frame, and I didn’t want to pay $75 for a frame that I was going to trash.
So the lovely folks at Worthwhile put me in touch with Rebecca at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, who, might I add, opened the doors for me after closing time.  What an amazing exhibit!
I picked the story of Ellala Mei-Ning: the woman whose voice was too beautiful to be concealed.   I thought it was appropriate, given that I have a talker on my hands.
By far, my favorite find in Charleston was free… and came out of a dumpster.  That’s right!  Yours truly went dumpster diving on King Street.  It all happened when I was in Louis Vuitton, and I saw them putting THIS in the dumpster:
It was too beautiful to go to the dump and the trash guy told me I could take it, so.. I did.  The problem was, there was a heat index of 114 degrees and I had to haul it back to the hotel.  Now, she’s a lot heavier than she looks, I’d say about 60 lbs. heavy.  Part of me was wishing I had Mike with me, the other part of me knew that he would kill me, so I hauled it all the way back to the hotel… on my own.
Strangers were taking my picture, stopping to stare- it was a topic of conversation.  But it was just too good to pass up!  Of course, when I got back to the hotel, Mike said “Ummm, how do you plan on getting that home?”  I answered, “I always find a way!”  At one time, in her prime, she looked like this:
If she makes it home safely, I am thinking she would look delicious in my dining room over the green console.
Ahem, back to Charleston… Now for the food scene- Husk was probably the biggest disappointment.  (Wanh, Wanh!)  The atmosphere, the food, the cocktails… everything was just “OK.”
My two favorites were S.N.O.B.  (Conveniently located right across the street from our hotel.)
(Amazing drinks!)
 and Taco Boy.
After devouring some tacos, we (me, Mike and my new friend) hopped in the Crown Vic and headed back to Savannah.
We got back to Savannah just in time to celebrate Grammy’s birthday
and figure out how to ship my friend home.  After Lou and I spent an hour in the UPS Store she went from this:
to this:
I painstakingly had to bend each individual wire backwards and tie it up. Lord knows, I’m not a quitter!  Of course I have about 20 fallen soldiers in a bag.    I am not sure in what shape she will arrive, but I sure had to give it the old college try!
Now, before I wrap this extremely long-winded recap, I wanted to get an opinion on something that Mike and I debate over with each trip to Savannah.  On Grammy’s family picture wall is a picture of Mike’s paternal grandfather.  Tell me that he is not a dead ringer for Brad Pitt?
That is all.  Talk amongst yourselves.

03.09.11

Martha and the Beach.

Upon our suggestion, our next door neighbors jetted off to Beaches, Turks and Caicos this week.  (Can you say JEALOUS?) Which got me thinking about what wonderful memories we’ve had there.  Last year, Mike and E surprised me with a little “Wedding” where we renewed our vows.  What a great day we had.  Those two planned the whole thing, and I was shocked at how well-planned and elegant everything was.  Then I realized that they got by with a little help from the Queen of Crafts.
 Beaches is now partnering up with Martha Stewart Weddings.  It’s like a wedding in a box, but one that even this “Type A” could go for.  There are six wedding packages to choose from, or you can customize.  I am super impressed with the stylish options that they have for weddings- and all you have to do is show up.
Bon Voyage!

01.31.11

We’re Baaack….

So sad to come back to reality today.  We had such a wonderful trip to Turks and Caicos.  I was nervous that we wouldn’t be able to come close to topping last year, but an amazing time was had by all.  Lou “getting it” made it that much more fun for us as a family.  Here are some highlights:

Thanks to all of the lovely ladies who guest blogged for me last week. What a great list of items!  Check in tomorrow when I’ll let you in on What I’m loving for Spring.

09.12.10

Field Trip: Wings of Fancy.


Yesterday, my two favorite girls and I headed to the Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly Exhibit. What a beautiful day we had. The weather was perfect and the butterflies were flying footloose and fancy free. Below are some of the highlights.

E loved touching the specimens.

This little guy made himself right at home on my baby’s head.

These two thought Lou’s jibbit was a real flower.


My girls.

They insisted on wearing their butterfly dresses in honor of the butterflies.

08.29.10

Priceless.

Concert Tickets- $200
Dinner- $30
Brobee Backpack-$30
Light Sticks-$20
Yo Key Chains-$20
Tour Tee Shirts-$60
The look on their faces…. Priceless.

Last night we took our #1 fan to the long awaited Yo Gabba Gabba Live Concert. What a fun family night. Now, I am a sucker to watching my girls experience new things. I actually cried because of the sheer joy on their faces at Disney on Ice. Back to Yo- the girls loved it and we all danced the night away. Sadly enough, all of the parents knew the songs better than the kids. Yooooooooooooo Gabba Gabba!!!!!!!!!

We met Bella and Gigi for some burgers and fries beforehand.

Spent $100 after five minutes of entering the concert.

Hilarious.

Mommy and DJ Lance Lou.

Loving it.


E’s kitten-like dance.

So Yummy! So Yummy!

Time to say good bye.

Check out this family’s adorable shirts.



Biz was awesome. I think the Dads were more excited than the kids… “Oh Baaby Youuuuuu!”

08.25.10

A Gem of Austin: Mayastar.

I cannot leave Austin without stopping at this sumptuous little store on South Congress Street. Every time I return home with a coveted piece of jewelry countless women ask me where I got it. Well, here is your answer. I also buy a lot of gifts for friends at Mayastar because the selection is so unique. All of my girlfriends have been waiting for this post.

Meet Maya. Owner of Mayastar. She has been on South Congress for 15 years. Maya started selling antiques and slowly phased in jewelry and clothing. Now Mayastar is a staple on South Congress filled with fresh clothing and some A-MAZ-ING jewels.
This one’s for all of those ladies who stop me at Wegmans and ask me where I got my bling… All Mayastar purchases are 10% off through September 25 with the promo code kiki (case sensitive) at checkout. Many of the items shown are not available online, so if you see something in this post that you cannot find online, please call the store at (512) 912.1475 to place your order.
Here’s what made it onto Kiki’s List:
1. Coralia Leets Long Necklace– $268 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS) ***KIKI’S LIST FAVORITE
2. Coralia Leets Single Stone Earring– $163 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS) ***KIKI’S LIST FAVORITE
3. Geode Cocktail Rings– $74-$111 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS) ***KIKI’S LIST FAVORITE
4. Engraved Brass Cuff- $147 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
5. Coralia Leets Turquoise Earrings- $163 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
6. Citrine Quartz and Apatite necklace– $145 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
7. Coralia Leets Double Stone Earrings– $358 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS) ***KIKI’S LIST FAVORITE
8. Beaded Pendant Necklaces- $65-72 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
9. Turquoise Cocktail Ring– $248 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
10. Coralia Leets Dot Earrings- $163 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
11. Enamel Cuff- $41 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
12. Beaded Earrings- $64-74 (PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF FOR KIKI’S LIST FOLLOWERS)
I already own # 1 & #2…. Next on my list; #’s 3 & 7….
Thanks again Maya… Can’t wait to come back!