Happy Mother's Day

I am so looking forward to my first Mother's Day this Sunday. Caroline Lou is my greatest gift and my biggest joy. I love her so much and am so thankful that I get to be her mommy. I'm looking forward to spending the day with my little family just lazing around in our jammies, eating pancakes, snuggling, grilling out, playing, planting flowers, and sneaking in a facial (just an hour or so of "me time":).

I miss my mom everyday. I always think about her a lot on Mother's Day. She was the kindest, warmest, most compassionate, and loving person I have ever known. She had a way about her that made everyone love her and feel at ease. She always spoke well of other people and she truly led by example.

My mom told me every single day how much she loved me and that I was the best thing that she ever did. I now understand that kind of love and am so happy to share that special bond with my sweet baby girl. It's unlike anything else. My mom would have loved Caroline so, so much. I am certain that they would have been the best of friends. I can't wait to share all of my memories of my wonderful mom with Caroline. If Caroline loves me even half as much as I loved my mom, I'll be one lucky lady.

The photos above are of my mom and me sitting in the same wooden rocking chair, each pregnant with our baby girl. Pretty awesome, right?

And, a few more photos to share after the jump...

Mini coffee maker

I love starting my workday with a cup of Columbia Street Roastery coffee in my L mug. Today's flavor: Rainforest Crunch. Yumm-o!

I hit the jackpot for Christmas with this Cuisinart mini coffee maker from husband. Now I get to make my own personal cup of coffee every morning right in my office. And, Craig gave me the L mug, which is perfect. It's all about the little things, right? :)

And, in regard to big things, I finally submitted my application for grad school yesterday. It felt so good to hit that "submit" button! I've applied for the Masters of Advertising program in the College of Media at the U of I. I should hear sometime in April whether I'll be a student again this fall.

As my friend Sara pointed out, this will likely be the least excruciating wait possible. Y'know, 'cause there's going to be a new baby and all in a few weeks. That will be probably take my mind off this for awhile. :) Anyway, fingers crossed!

Happy Wednesday!

Rosemary chicken salad sammies

I have a hate-hate relationship with white food. Generally for me that includes the Big Four: mayo, sour cream, cream cheese, and cottage cheese. It also expands to include some very specific conditions... I will eat ranch dressing, but only for dipping fried broccoli. I will eat vanilla ice cream, but only if it's got a topping.

My disgust with white food has resulted in me turning up my nose to any food with the word "salad" in it for pretty much my entire life. Egg salad, macaroni salad, chicken salad... until now. This weekend I ventured out of my comfort zone and made the most delicious, barely white, rosemary chicken salad sandwiches. Made with fat free yogurt and just a bit of olive oil mayo, these tasty sandwiches were not the sloppy white mess I typically expect - and, they were fairly healthy. I highly recommend them!

Do you have any food phobias?

Closet purge

I own more clothes than any one person should. It's a fact. I often purchase clothes for very specific occasions like my dress that's perfect for riding my bike to the farmers market, or my other dress that perfect for strolling around the farmers market if I'm not riding my bike there, or like the gauzy shirt that's a perfect cover-up for a day at the beach. Funny thing is, I am ocean side maybe once per year. I also have clothes that date back to high school, possibly even middle school (frightening, right?). 

Inspired by the book I'm currently reading, The Happiness Project, this past weekend I did a massive closet purge. Anyone who knows me is well aware that this is no easy task for me. In the event that I am able to part with an article of clothing, I often replace it with two new pieces. So, for accomplishing this task I am quite proud of myself. As a result, I have this renewed love for my closet. I have recommitted myself to appreciating the clothes that I have and making every attempt to wear each and every piece at least once this year. Those things I don't wear? Yep, they're getting purged at the end of the season. 

While I couldn't part with all 14 black dresses that I own, I was able to part with almost half. Those dresses along with the massive amount of clothes I recently donated have actually made me feel joyful. I feel like I've added some simplicity to my wardrobe and as a result, my life. It's one small step for my overflowing closet and one giant leap for this fashion-lover.

p.s. I used to covet Carrie's UES closet. That was until she got this closet. And, remember this scene from the SATC movie? I adore it. My fashion show for Bob was similar while I was purging my closet. :)

Early to bed, early to rise

I am very proud to say that I have been rocking 5:30am workouts now for a whole week.  My gym offers great classes with hard core instructors who make me work hard.  From spinning to core training to every muscle group weight training, my body has been working pretty hard.
Getting up at the crack of dawn has proven to be the most daunting challenge of the whole thing.  The funniest thing about this new routine is that the latest I can keep my eyes open come nighttime is 8pm!  Last night, for example, I was asleep by 7:30pm.  My husband makes fun of me for needing a lot of sleep considering he only needs about 6 hours and he feels great.  Me, I need at least 8 hours to feel my best.  Give me 9, and the next day the world is mine.

I'm hoping to keep up this new routine and may need some encouragement along the way.  Secretly, one of my favorite things about it is that I have a legitimate excuse to not stay out late.

Leap Day

I am fascinated by people who were born on Leap Day.  I grew up with two girls (Sunshine* and Beth) who both had Leap Day birthdays and they both celebrated on March 1st.  I always felt bad that they didn't get to celebrate their actual birthday and was perplexed by the fact that they chose to celebrate in a completely different month.  

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little unusual in that my birthday is my favorite holiday.  I don't know if it's because I'm an only child and therefore my birthday was a pretty big deal to my parents, too, or because I secretly love being the center of attention and receiving gifts.  Hopefully it's not the latter.  That is changing as I get older, but only a little bit.  I do look forward to going way over the top for my children's birthdays. 

Anyway, today is Leap Day.  I hope you do something extra special with your extra day!  This bit on 30 Rock made me laugh.

* Sunshine was one four siblings. Her sisters' names were Star, Dawn, and Stacey.  This was also something that fascinated me for years.

Libby Kacich Photography is live

I'm thrilled to announce that my professional photography website is now live!  I'll be using this to continue growing my photo business and showcase my work.  Feel free to hop over and take a look.  I'm always open to constructive suggestions, so let me know what you think!  

And, of course, please let me know if you'd like to book a session. :) 

Libby on the label

Naming my blog was something I really struggled with when I first started almost a year ago.  I wanted something that sounded cool, represented me and just fit.  I landed on "Living Lovely," but was never totally feeling it.  It's always been in the back of my mind - trying to figure out a name that was just right.  Well, I've finally found it.

Libby on the Label



Throughout my entire childhood people would always sing this silly song to me that went "Libby Libby Libby on the label label label, you will like it like it like it on your table table table."  Now, I am familiar with the Libby's (Libby's Libby's) brand, but I'm too young to remember these commercials.  When I was a kid it kind of annoyed me, but now it is one of the funnier things I remember from that time.  Mainly because I had no idea what people were talking about and I just had to stand there while they sang this song to me.  It makes me laugh right now just thinking about it.  Anyway, it's the perfect name for my blog.

I'll be working on designing a new header soon, so stay tuned.  I might even ask for your help in choosing what to use.

Getting Personal


Meg Dickinson, a writer for the News-Gazette, has invited local bloggers to answer her "Getting Personal" questions. "Getting Personal" features a new local resident weekly. She'll be using blogger submissions in a post tomorrow.  Here are my responses...


Name, age, town of residence
Libby Kacich, 30, Urbana

Profession: Explain in one sentence what it is you do.
Market Champaign County as a premier Midwest destination for leisure, business and sports travelers.

What time do you typically get up? What do you do the first hour of the morning?
On a great day I'll get up at 6:00AM and do yoga or run. On a normal day I'm up by 6:45AM to take my dog Winston for a walk, eat peanut butter toast, check email and get ready for work.

What did you have for lunch today? Where? With whom?
Mushroom brie bisque from Sunsinger with my co-worker Angela.

Best high school memory.
I hosted a party at my house for our girls soccer team one weekend. All of us girls were downstairs hanging out when we heard the doorbell ring. Thinking it was just another teammate arriving we didn't stir, too much. Next thing we know, four new guests had joined us for the party.  They laughed and giggled along with us in their prettiest dresses and funniest wigs.  Turns out the guys soccer team wanted to play a joke on us.  The guys maintained character for an amazing amount of time as we all laughed hysterically. 
Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.
With more than one hundred pairs, it's difficult to choose a favorite... I guess it'd have to be the pair I'm wearing right now.  Nine West, brown suede, knee-high boots, wedge heel that puts me at about 6', with a side buckle detail. I bought them on sale when I lived in New York City for $20 on my way to meet friends for brunch. They've proven to be a wonderful investment.

What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include?
My perfect Sunday afternoon includes a long walk with Bob, my husband, and our dog Winston followed by cooking up something delicious in the afternoon to enjoy that evening with family. Also, couch time!

Was there one book you read as a child that you still cherish? Own? Read?
Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever. I loved spending hours upon hours reading these stories with my mom. I loved making up stories for the family of bunnies on the first few pages.

Where on earth are you dying to go? Why?
Ireland. My husband and I just booked our tickets for a trip around St. Patrick's Day next year. I can't wait to pick up our rental car and explore the countryside!

Tell me about your favorite pet.
My dog Winston is the best. He's sweet, makes me laugh, loves to play and lights up my day. Winston loves peanut butter almost more than I do.

Have you discovered as you matured that you are becoming like one of your parents? Which one and how?
I'm very much like my mother. In more ways that I probably even know. And, I'm quite happy about it.

What would you order for your last meal?
Gino's East Pizza, Grimaldi's Pizza, Courier Cafe potato skins, one of my husband's grilled steaks, a bottle of Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, one of my mom's twice baked potatoes and a cold fudge sundae with strawberry custard from Jarlings.

What can you NOT live without?
Yoga. It keeps me sane.

Who do you have on your iPod?
My ipod is packed in a box along with the rest of my house (I'm moving). I most recently was rocking out to Jay Z.

What’s the happiest memory of your life?
The night my husband asked me to marry him.

If you could host a dinner party with any three living people in the world, whom
would you invite?
Grace Bonney, Jay Z and my husband.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Laugh every day.

What’s your best piece of advice?
Take deep breaths.

What was your first job, and how much did you make an hour?
Detassling corn when I was 14. I think I may have made around $3.50/hour.

What was a pivotal decision in your career, and how did you arrive at that decision?
Moving back to Champaign after living in NYC for five years is the decision that brought me to my current position with the Champaign County Convention & Visitors Bureau. I have a great job and I get to do new and amazing things every day. Deciding to move back to Champaign was difficult. NYC had become increasingly less affordable, but I really loved life in the city. In effort to save money and slow my pace I chose to come back to the Midwest. Deciding to stay was much easier. I re-met Bob, who is now my husband, less than a year after I moved back.  Everything else just kind of fell into place.

Do you have a bad habit? What is it?
I probably have lots, but none that I'm willing to admit. :)

How do you handle a stressful situation?
I work through it the best I possibly can and then I either head to my yoga studio or to have a glass of red wine with a friend.