365 Days of Everleigh - FIRST Birthday :)

Dear Sweet Baby Bear..

I can't believe you're one.  ONE!?!  I actually handled this day better than I thought I would.  In the days and even weeks leading up to now, I couldn't even look back at your old photos without getting sad about how quickly you were growing.  A giant knot would well up in my stomach as I feared I had missed something…or slept too much… or that I didn’t take enough of you in.  Growing and changing right before our very eyes, every day experiencing something new.  Not only you, but us as well.  Figuring out your quirks.  What you liked.  What you didn’t.  How you slept best.  It’s been a learning process for all of us.  A roller coaster of sorts.  But the good coaster kind.  The beginner ones.  The gentle ones that little kids go on first… the 4’ and under kind. ;)

You have honestly, truly been such an amazing baby.  I know I've said that before.. and I'm sure I sound like a broken record to some, but (and I know I can speak on behalf of your dad when I say this but) we've never felt luckier to have you.  You've taught us how to love unconditionally.  You've taught us patience....and pure joy.  You've taught us to live life for the moment...and to slow down and enjoy every second.  I know now how to focus.  To REALLY focus on the little things that mean the most.  And you mean the most to me.  You and your dad have been the most amazing blessings in my life.  Without him, I wouldn't have you.  And for that, I am thankful.  Extremely thankful for all the blessings in my life.  For all the family that support us.  And love us.  The friends that have watched you grow for the last year and the people in our lives who have been there for us every step of the way.  Thank you for being such an amazing baby.  I couldn't have imagined a better year for ALL of us!  

With Grandpa and Grandma Maldonado in town, and a small party planned for you this weekend... here are a few pictures we captured of your FIRST birthday photo session with our dear friend Shannon (who took your newborn and 6 month photos!) Her's will OBVIOUSLY be better...but here are the ones we captured while we all stood behind her trying to get your attention (with Iphones and cameras and even Logan with his DS!) 

 

 

NEW Kelley Digs :)

So before we get to the "AFTER" photos of what all we've done to try and make our NEW house OUR home, here are the listing pictures that brought this gem to our attention.  Although we fell in love right away with its open layout (perfect for entertaining), and the ridiculous amount of rooms and square footage (we got SUPER lucky with the size for the price)... we knew right away that making it our own would require a lot of painting.  A. LOT.  As in..damn near every single room!  And because we wanted to tackle as much as we could of the painting part before we brought in our furniture.. two weeks into owning this home, and we're BARELY starting to somewhat settle in, SLOOOOOOWWWLY taking stuff out of boxes and putting things away.

But without further ado... our NEW Kelley Digs!  Visit soon.  Visit Often.  :)  

Cowboy boot planter will be put up on Craigslist soon.  Claim it now if you want it.  ;)  

Even though this textured look works for a lot of people.. and wasn't actually BAD... it wasn't really our taste.  First order of business was to NEUTRALIZE the entire house with paint.  

We ended up painting the entry area / office, living room, hallways and kitchen:

Sherwin Williams, Pavillion Beige.  

Pretty for some.. but a little dated feeling to us.  

We painted over the red (under the chair rail) a crisp white (Sherwim Williams - Pure White)

The top portion a dark grey (Sherwin Williams - Backdrop) 

We also got an AWESOME new light fixture from West Elm for the dining room too that we can't wait to put up.  Oh and a new dining table too!!  Woo hoo for hosting more dinner parties :) :) 

FIRST FLOOR GUEST ROOM

They used this first floor room as their office.. we're going to use it as a guest room.  

Sherwin Williams - Pavillion Beige all around

MASTER BEDROOM - Hasn't been touched.  

We actually liked the color and didn't feel we needed to rush into painting it.. YET.  ;) 

Bought a new fan that still needs to be installed.  

MASTER BATH - To Do List

The border NEEDS to GO!!! ASAP.. 

Light Fixture needs to be replaced

Mirrors - gets a new frame

Cabinets need a new coat of paint.  They were painted in some crackle brown ugliness.  

Tub faucet fixture - changed out eventually.  

Now the kitchen is where we've spent the majority of our sweat and man hours.  WHEW!! Boy oh boy!!.. Let's just say that at first glance, we knew IMMEDIATELY that we would NOT be able to live with the color of the cabinets for very long.  Not even a SLIGHT chance.. in hell.  Knowing full well how much of a process this was going to be... we researched a head of time and tackled this bad boy FIRST.  What a production!  We took every single cabinet door down.. took off the hinges, sanded everything down and stained each one... letting each side dry for at least 24 hours.  27 cabinet doors and 10 drawers later.. and these orange cabinets have been TRANSFORMED!!

They look AMAZING now.. can't wait to show you the difference!!  

(Quite possibly in the next post.. I've yet to take pictures of them all hung up and pretty).  

All that faux-ness has been painted over and that fixture above the sink has been replaced with a REALLY cool Edison bulb pendant light :)  

Still need to figure out what the heck we are going to do about that box light overhead.  YUCK!

Still looking for a new kitchen pendant light for above our kitchen table.. 

ORANGE YUCKINESS!!  Ahhhhh!!

Living room got a cool new fan .. not that four light mess that seemed to hang too low in the room.. 

We bought new fans for every room that will be replaced soon as well.. 

UPSTAIRS BEDROOM #1 - Everleigh's Room :)

Initially, I had a hard time deciding which room Everleigh would get.  This one has a slightly smaller walk-in closet but cute vaulted ceilings... so, it won.  :)  And of course, it got a painting overhaul too.  

Yellow and Red NO MORE!  :)  

UPSTAIRS BEDROOM #2 - TURNED KELLEY GYM

Hasn't been touched... is now our gym.  Or at least that's where we parked our elliptical.  ;) 

You know the thing that hasn't been touched since this whole house moving process started... yeah, that one.  

UPSTAIRS BEDROOM #3 

UPSTAIRS GAME ROOM 

While they used this room as a theater room, we had different plans for using this space...  

game room for Everleigh of course!!  And while the DARK maroon appealed to my Aggie heart, I knew it had to go.  This is another transformation worth seeing.  It went from a dark, dungeon-like space to light, bright and airy!  :)  DARK NO MORE!!  (Pictures coming soon!)

OUR BACKYARD 

Macie's dream come true!!  I think Chad and I were both more excited for Macie and Everleigh having a place to run than anything else. lol.. 

Hope ya'll enjoyed our new house tour..  

Come visit us soon :)  

Daily Dose of Everleigh - VIDEO

In the midst of cleaning, packing, moving, sweating, painting...UNpacking and PAINTING some more... I'm sorry to say that I've neglected this blog.  Just yesterday, I gave up on EVERYTHING that needed to be done around the house and just sat there.. blankly staring at the TV for the entire evening.  After being without television for just over two weeks (I don't usually even watch that much TV..but the house had been so incredibly QUIET without it),  I took the opportunity to turn to mush on the couch after Everleigh had gone to bed.  Did I feel guilty about it?  Yeah a bit.. but we've been in fast forward since the day we closed on the house...and although we've made HUGE strides, I'm not sure I see the finish line anytime soon.  

So, even though, I promised a house tour... I'm leaving you with a little bit of Everleigh cuteness for now.  :)  

I'm sure you're disappointed.. but you'll get over it soon enough.  ;)  She's just so DAMN cute!!  :)

Everleigh Isabella Kelley - 11 Months and Counting

Everleigh’s Monthly Photos:  This mommy's attempt to capture our Baby Bear's growth in relation to her “Letter E"... Continued. 

I have to be honest and say that every time these monthly "Mommy/Everleigh" photo sessions come up.. it's usually by surprise.  I try and always work around the 25th of every month (give or take a day or two depending on when we're actually free to take them).. but I hardly give much thought to what she's going to wear and most months, the 25th creeps up on me faster than I can keep up with.  This month was no different.  

In the midst of packing and sweating, more packing and even MORE sweating, as we transition from old house to NEW house! (blog post on ALL the New House Goodness coming soon!!) ... running from one to the other as we prep the new house with new paint and such,  I took a moment out of our busy afternoon this past Sunday to snap a few pictures of our bear.  

Kind of a momentous moment actually, as this was the last monthly session in this old house.  Luckily for me, she was more cooperative than ever and we were able to wrap this little session up in under 10 minutes!  

YEAHHHHH, GOOOOO EVERLEIGH!! WOOOOOOO!!  (this is where Everleigh claps her little chubby hands (well fingers actually) together in agreement ;)  Smile usually always included.  ;)  

Recent Milestones:   

TEETH - My poor baby bear has been such a trooper this last month as she has officially gotten her first set of molars.  Tooth #9 AND #10 came together, back to back.  She has indeed been a bit whiny, fussy and clingy at times but in between it all she's still such a SUPER HAPPY BABY!! What a champ!  We even think tooth #11 is about to break ground here in a few days.. gums are looking crazy swollen.  :(  

KISSES!! - In just one weekend, when my parents came up to visit, they successfully taught our bear to GIVE KISSES!!  When you ask her for a kiss, she will almost ALWAYS put her lips together and SMACK, making the kissing sound.  CUTEST THING EVER!!  

STANDING - Definitely getting more confident in her stance, letting go, and standing alone, for longer periods of time.  As soon as she realizes what she's doing though, immediately she flops down on her butt.  :)  

SIZES - Even though there's no doubt that she is, in fact, taller and bigger than most her age, she's still rocking 9 month clothes (almost all her onesies are still 9 months) and she sometimes even wears 6 month stuff, depending on the outfit of course (mostly dresses that are now long shirts ;)  

SOUND EFFECTS - Most recently we've RE-discovered the fascinating sounds her tongue can make.  Clicking, flicking, popping her tongue on the roof of her mouth.  Make a sound for her and most likely she'll try to repeat it.  :)  

 To view her other monthly photo sessions... Click on the links below.  

10 Months & Counting

9 Months & Counting

8 Months & Counting

7 Months & Counting

6 Months & Counting

5 Months & Counting

4 Months & Counting

3 Months & Counting

1st & 2nd Month & Counting 

Chef Chad Kelley - Cafe Pacific Restaurant Review

For the last (almost) year now, my hubby, Chef Chad Kelley, has led the reigns as Executive Chef of Cafe Pacific in Highland Park Village here in Dallas.  During that time, he's taken a slow and steady approach at updating a very well, long established menu.  Having opened it's doors over 32 years ago, Cafe Pacific has become the go-to restaurant of choice for many of Dallas' locals.  Knowing he may encounter resistance to changes made too abruptly or out of character, he approached the task at hand with ease, slowly molding the perceptions of what Cafe Pacific could be, elevating menu selections and adding new dishes that pleased everyone.  But since his arrival to the Cafe Pacific team, he had yet to be properly "reviewed" for his efforts...until now.  
  
In the days leading up to any review or restaurant critique coming out to the public about My Chef, our house is usually a bit tense.  Will they like what they ate?  Were the servers having an "off" day? Was the kitchen staff on point on that particular night, with that particular dish, just the way that particular reviewer liked it?  How does everything compare to every other restaurant out there? Whatever the case my be, it's always a nerve-racking time.  

So when this review finally came out, right on the heels of another exciting (but equally stressful) closing on our new house... my Chef was a more than just a little relieved.  ;)  

The link to the Guide Live's Review on Cafe Pacific

Restaurant review: A refreshed menu brings some welcome updates to Cafe Pacific 

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Evans Caglage/Staff Photographer

Nova Scotia halibut with prosciutto and tomatoes

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By KIM PIERCE

Special Contributor

kpierce1@airmail.net

Published: 21 August 2013 05:16 PM

Updated: 22 August 2013 05:22 PM

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Few Dallas institutions have endured with the tenacity of Cafe Pacific, which reigns supreme as a Park Cities power-dining and neighborhood destination. When owner Jack Knox became the accidental restaurateur 33 years ago, who knew (least of all Knox) he’d get the clubby thing so right? Initially, he was only supposed to put up the money, but the operations half of the equation quickly collapsed, leaving Knox to run the show.

A fresh flower on every table. An orange slice in every water glass. Smartly crisped sweet-potato shoestrings before every meal. To these details, add a stately turn-of-the-last-century cafe setting with glossy marble floors, dark woods and brass-and-etched-glass flourishes. But all this forms only the backdrop for the predictable, cosseting experience that sets Cafe Pacific apart.

Any change to such a successful enterprise is risky. But a subtle and welcome change has come with executive chef Chad Kelley, who took over the kitchen last fall. He was at the Meddlesome Moth most recently and, before that, at the Oceanaire Seafood Room, where his seafood sparkled.

Kelley has freshened up Cafe Pacific’s seafood, as restaurants across Dallas have amped up the category, not the least John Tesar’s au courant Spoon on the other side of the Park Cities in Preston Center. Kelley also has expanded the menu to include vaunted, and not at all risky, wet-aged Allen Brothers steaks.

Starting with the starters, Maryland-style jumbo lump crabmeat cake looked as if the gorgeous, sea-fresh strands of sweet crab were held together by air. (“Jumbo lump” isn’t just a flowery description; it signifies a top grade.) In another appetizer, gobs of jumbo lump were embedded with avocado, lapped by racy rémoulade and festooned with celery microgreens and Sriracha dots.

Prince Edward Island oysters were such clean-tasting little bites they didn’t need the excellent sauces: mignonette, a soy-based dipper and a horseradish- forward cocktail sauce. A special of oysters Rockefeller, aside from being a little oily, made a great run at the classic credited to Antoine’s in New Orleans.

I loved the dainty lobster roll offered at lunch on a brioche bun, its tender meaty bites swathed in mayo with the tiniest celery dice, parsley and chives. It comes with hot, crisp fries, a side Cafe Pacific turns out with military precision. No quibble, either, with the buttery-fleshed “short smoked” salmon, except I’d have liked a longer smoke.

A special of shrimp and grits put the crustacean front and center with a soulful tomato sofrito over nubbly grits flecked with corn. The dense, beefy, 18-ounce rib-eye could easily have been halved to serve two. Lovely halibut one evening wore a prosciutto party hat that was clever, if a little jarring with the fish. Delicate scallops seemed the odd man out in another special, next to sliced fennel and andouille sausage.

Kelley also has upgraded the desserts, starting with the stodgy, crust-centric Key lime pie. Its replacement: a tangy tower of filling on a buttery, graham-cracker pedestal. His strawberry shortcake is a tart slice of lemon icebox cake with strawberries, tons of piped cream and basil microgreens. (Yes, he uses lots of microgreens: tiny changes.)

But some of Cafe Pacific’s core dishes are looking more and more like upscale cafeteria food. Three-onion-crusted sea bass resembled nothing so much as a round, hoity-toity fish stick. Lemon sole amandine was drenched in lemon butter, and the accompanying carrots were woefully undercooked. (How could the kitchen get these wrong after they’ve been on the menu, what, forever?) Of course, Highland Park Village will become an outlet mall before these come off the menu. Or change.

Change is tricky at Cafe Pacific. Some things you wouldn’t want to change.

Few Dallas restaurants, for instance, achieve its level of service: cordial and hyper-attentive without hovering. One time, before we could bring our wobbly table to our waiter’s attention, he was on the spot with a fix. Another time, it was instructive to eavesdrop as a waiter discreetly prompted a server-in-training to put a to-go sack “in the chair, not on the table.” We were easily marked as nonregulars, but the servers sized us up in a good way.

The wine list is something else that needs no fix. In addition to balanced selections, it offers tiered brackets at $29, $39 and $49, each with good choices. One night, our table of four got into Oregon selections, starting with King Estate Pinot Gris 2011 ($39) for appetizers and segueing into the server’s recommended Erath Pinot Noir 2010 ($49) for our mixed entrees. As for cocktails, they come off as an afterthought.

Normally, descriptors such as staid, classic and timeless are euphemisms for moribund. Not here. In fact, they’re supreme compliments. No one’s ever going to mistake Cafe Pacific for a trendsetter, and that’s exactly the way its customers, their grandmothers and owner Knox like it.