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One// New Cup
My friend Dana started a business making epoxy tumblers, and I had her make one for me! I was inspired by the Happy Stripe pattern from Simplified, and Dana knocked it out of the park. A cup this size is only $30. Thought I'd mention it in case you are on the hunt for a great gift! Here's her page.

https://www.facebook.com/pettreytumblers/

Two// New Recipes 
Have I mentioned that I purchased an air fryer? If not, I have to tell you how much I love it. It's been a complete game changer in the kitchen! We use it almost everyday. It makes vegetables taste so much better. I recently tried a recipe for 2 ingredient bagels in the air fryer, and they turned out so good! 

The recipe is just 1/2 cup self rising flour and 1/2 cup low fat greek yogurt. Mix it until you have a dough ball, then divide into 4. Shape into a bagel shape, and coat with a beaten egg. Top with whatever seasoning you want. I went with everything seasoning. 350 degrees for 10 mins! These end up being about 150 calories a piece, which is about half of a traditional bagel. 

2 Ingredient WW bagels in the air fryer

2 Ingredient WW bagels in the air fryer

The second recipe I made in the oven, but you can certainly make a smaller batch in the air fryer. This recipe is for a healthy pumpkin muffin! They are only 65 calories per muffin. Or about 100 if you add chocolate chips, which I did. 

Here's the recipe:
1 15 oz canned pumpkin
1 cup egg whites
1 cup flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove
3 tbsp stevia
1 tbsp baking powder 
(chocolate chips are optional)
Mix and pour in a muffin tin. Makes 12 muffins. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. 

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Three// Closet Clean Out
I am on a mission to continue decluttering, and my closet is one place I can always find things to get rid of. I did a massive clean out, and even said goodbye to some pieces I had been holding on to. It was encouraging too, because I found some shorts I had set aside because they had become too tight. Now they fit like a glove! 

I ended up with an entire rubbermaid and a TJ Maxx bag full of clothes. My sister got several pieces, but, I also posted quite a bit in my Poshmark closet. Head on over to take a look! 

If you aren't already on Poshmark, you can use my code KESWOOLSEY for $10 to use towards clothes. I also do big discounts if you purchase more than one item. 


Let's Chat! Leave me a comment below with something you've got to share! Buy anything new lately? What about new recipes you've tried? Do you have an air fryer?! Tell me what you think!

Just Three Things

Monday, September 30, 2019

With our annual passes expiring at the beginning of October, we wanted to go out with a bang and do one last big Disney trip! We are not renewing our passes this time. 2020 has a lot in store travel wise, and we needed to make some adjustments in the budget. Florida Residents can pay monthly for their passes, and even though that's helpful, you still spend so much money on hotels and food. 

Before our passes expire we wanted to make sure that we got to see the new Star Wars land area and visit each of the parks one last time. We had an awesome long weekend and definitely got our money's worth. That being said, I think I've got Disney out of my system for a long time. 

Day One | Magic Kingdom After Hours Event
19,872 Steps
After we did After Hours at Hollywood Studios earlier this year, I am convinced there is no better way to do Disney. It's a seperate ticket, but you get access to the park from 7pm to midnight. Usually the other guests leave when the park closes around 9. At HS we only waited for one ride, but when we did Magic Kingdom this time, we did not have to wait for anything. Walking on every ride was awesome, especially when the wait times were over an hour when we arrived at 7. 

Additionally you get free bottled drinks, popcorn and ice cream. We both brought backpacks to fill with drinks for the rest of our weekend. 😂 Both of us attempted to take a few pictures to show how empty the park is, but taking night photos on your phone is always a gamble. 


We had basically every ride to ourselves. Our own boat on Pirates...Smallworld...






Day Two | Animal Kingdom & Disney Springs
16,381 Steps 
We kept it pretty easy going on Friday, since we were up so late the night before. Mostly, we were very excited to do the new animation class. They used to have this class at Hollywood Studios and it was our favorite thing to do. So we were thrilled they brought it back to AK! 




After doing a few rides, we actually headed back to the hotel for a nap. This is my absolute favorite way to do Disney. Go early, go take a nap and then do something at night. Our hotel was right next to Disney Springs, so we walked over for dinner. Before dinner we looked in a few stores, and then we went to Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar so Blake could try a bourbon flight he'd been looking forward to. The bar is based on an Indiana Jones character, which we loved. 

Then we went to Paddlefish for dinner, which has been a restaurant we've been wanting to try for ages. It was fantastic and the service was top kotch. 



We got the tableside lobster guacamole, and holy moly, it was fantastic. It serves 4..so maybe only order it if you have a big group! I felt like I needed to be rolled out of that restaurant. 


Day Three | EPCOT Food & Wine and A Sneak Peak at Batuu 
21,965 Steps
We wore matching shirts on Saturday! I loved how these turned out. Having a Cricut made me ultra critical of the shirts I saw at Disney this trip. I saw SO many shirts that were improperly pressed and looked reallllly bad. I really hoped that those poorly done shirts were DIYs and not something that people spent a fortune on through Etsy. 

We arrived at park opening and that helped up get several rides done without waiting. Early bird gets the worm! Epcot on Saturday is not really the best plan. It got busy really fast. We were still able to try several snacks and drinks at the festival booths though! It was probably the first time we actively went around with the passport and picked out things we wanted to try. 

This was the day I realized I was getting Disney out of my system. We had kind of done everything we wanted to do by 11am, but we had a lunch reservation in the UK pavilion that we had to stick around for. I have been wanting to try it for a long time, and hadn't been able to get a reservation. We randomly looked on the app one night the week before and one had become available. Turns out the food was just okay and it was so expensive. 

One of the problems with Epcot is that they do a tiered fastpass system. You can only get 1 fastpass for a 'big' ride and then your other two are 'smaller' rides. It makes it hard to do a lot, because it forces you to wait in hours long lines to ride more than one big attraction. /rant. 



Blake had been *dying* to go to see the new Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios. We originally planned to do it on Sunday, our last day, because we had just recently done everything at HS with After Hours and could devote a whole day to that land if we wanted. Well, after basically becoming bored at Epcot, we decided to go anyway. 

I'm SO happy we did because it was fantastic. After feeling bored earlier in the day, it was so refreshing to do something new and to see what all the fuss was about. We were able to grab a few HS fastpasses and did those rides after checking out the new Star Wars land. 

Can we just compare the smiles between the photo above, and the one below?! He was so stoked. I was too honestly. Disney knocked this area out of the park. The details are amazing. Saturday was a bit crowded, but not bad at all. We were able to do some exploring, try some food and ride the new Smuggler's Run ride. It's a blast. The wait time hasn't been outrageous either. 

You really feel like you've stepped into a movie. They've got characters walking around and interacting with guests. We were able to distract some Stormtroopers to help Rey and Chewie get back to the Falcon. 






Day Four | Hollywood Studios 
13,889 Steps
We found out that our hotel had Extra Magic Hours, which allowed us into the park at 6 am. Only a handful of people were up that early, and those who were in line that early were heading straight to the new SW land. We decided to head to the Toy Story area and do Slinky Dog and Toy Story Mania while they were walk on rides. Toy Story land heads right into the Star Wars area so it was a great strategy.

We grabbed breakfast at one of the Star Wars restaurants, which was really good. And then we rode Smuggler's Run again. It's just so fun. Especially when you have a group that's really into it. 

Then Blake went full on geek and bought a lightsaber. I have to admit, it's pretty cool and the shop you buy them in is amazing. 

The blue milk is actually tasty, even though it's a bit different. I enjoyed it. Plus you can get it with alcohol...which we didn't, since it was only like 8am. 






After riding a few other rides with fastpasses, and seeing the Indiana Jones show, we ate at The Brown Derby. This was a restaurant we never wanted to eat at before because the menu never looked  that appealing. We ended up there last year randomly, and now we are obsessed! They have a famous cobb salad that is to-die-for. 

It was about 2 or 2:30 when we decided to head home. Because we had arrived at the park so early, we were parked in the first row. It's so nice when you are ready to leave and you aren't parked miles away! 

I loved getting home before 5. Our pugs were excited to see us and we still had plenty of energy to unpack and get things cleaned up. We had such a nice weekend together, just the two of us. We also left feeling really satisfied with using our passes. We definitely got our money's worth. Those passes are so nice for free parking and you get a pretty decent discount on merchandise too. But, we feel ready to let them expire and put that money towards other things. 

If we do get the itch to go to the parks next year, there is a cheap Florida resident 3-4 day pass that I feel is a great deal. Alternatively, we may just do After Hours. The parks are just more fun after dark, and the temperature is always so much better. (Although I didn't mention that this weekend had the best weather!! It was warm, but very very breezy!) 

Alright, that sums up our last Disney trip for awhile! I hope you had fun following along. Leave a comment below if you've been to the new Star Wars land, or have a Disney trip coming up soon! Tell me what you have planned trip wise in 2020!

4 Days at Disney | Magic Kingdom After Hours | First Time In The New Star Wars Land

Monday, September 23, 2019

It might be the back to school season, but I have been in such a mood to reevaluate my little home office and make some changes! We shared our office makeover about a year ago when I started working from home. Previously, my husband and I shared a desktop computer and I didn't really use our home office all that often. Things have certainly changed, because the office has become the room we are in most frequently! In addition to work, Blake and I also do some volunteer construction work, and the majority of what we do is clerical, so a functional office is critical. 

When I shared our mini makeover, I had not purchased my Cricut yet. My Cricut has got to be one of the best purchases I've ever made! It's quickly become my favorite thing. Crafts...gifts...I'm always using it. With the Cricut comes a certain...mess. I have accumulated quite a stash of vinyl and other supplies. But, this space still needs to function for actual work-so I had to do a little more organizing. 

I wanted to share a real life look at what my work space looks like. I did not fluff it up for these photos! (I did flip a few papers around and cover up some private information.) Maybe it'll inspire you a little bit, or maybe you are like me and just nosey. =] 

Affiliate links present!

Home Office Organization Ideas

Here's my space! I have an Ikea desk and shelving system, and the drawer cabinet is also from Ikea. I couldn't recommend this set more. It's durable and easy to reconfigure. Additionally I have a rolling cart that I found at TJ Maxx. (Similar) Under the desk is our Fireproof box.

Home Office Organization Ideas

Told you I didn't stage these! Look at all of those cords under the desk...yikes!

I adore this self! I love that when I'm sitting at my desk, I can easily reach over for scissors or a different pen. It was also perfect to clip my work light onto. I try to keep these shelves decluttered, but because our office wears so many different hats, I've got a lot of stuff!

Home Office Organization Ideas

One of our newest office organizers are these paper storage boxes. I found these at Walmart (similar on Amazon) and used my label maker to distinguish the drawers. I'm using these 4 drawers for paper, cardstock, photo paper, and then the last drawer for random things like sheet protectors and page dividers. Super easy to set up and they really hide the clutter. On this shelf I keep an acrylic sorter to organize my notecards. (I have another one on Blake's desk to organize bills.)

Above the other paper organizer, I have an acrylic tray where we keep random cords and chargers. I'd love to find a prettier solution but, my husband is an IT guy-there will forever be cords everywhere. 

Home Office Organization Ideas

This tray came from Walmart, in the bathroom section. (Similar on Amazon)

Home Office Organization Ideas

These are my most used shelves! The top has two sets of acrylic organizers for my pens and Cricut tools. Again, I found the acrylic cups in the bathroom section at Walmart and labeled them with my Cricut. (Similar on Amazon

If you are a pen person...I love the Stablio pens, Papermate Flair pens, and the Erin Condren dual tip pens. If you are new to Erin Condren, you can sign up for an account with my link and receive a $10 gift certificate! (Don't forget to use Ebates too!)

The second shelf contains three packs of colorful cardstock that I have yet to use! I bought it for making greeting cards with my Cricut, and I have failed everytime. Making that a goal to get right! 
I also have a 3 ring binder with sheet protectors to store my vinyl scraps. It's really fun to make something using only scraps. It's like it was free!

Shelf number two also contains my main notebooks. I swear by the Erin Condren spiral notebooks. The paper quality is great and you get to customize your cover. I have a dedicated notebook for several different things. For example, one for work, one for our volunteer work, etc. (Use my referral link and that gift certificate makes those custom notebooks $10!)

I also have yet another acrylic organizer for more pens, highlighters, dry erase markers, sharpies and my washi tape. I believe that organizer came from Target. See it better in this post.

Oh! And that colorful box is where I keep the decals I sell in my Etsy shop! The box comes free when you buy some custom stationary from Erin Condren. (Also something I love! Those note cards are fantastic!)

Home Office Organization Ideas

My biggest suggestion for staying organized is to give everything a home! I'm sure you've heard "everything in its place." It really works. I've saved so many random containers and small boxes to use in my office! The little bowl holding all of my memory cards and flash drives? A tealight holder. The bigger one next to it, holding my giant paper clips? The ceramic bowl that came with my dish brush

Home Office Organization Ideas

On top of the shelf is where I keep our letterboard. I shared how I organize all of those little letters in this post! I love the letterboard, because it's an easy way to change things up. I also store our paper cutter and my button maker on the top. They don't fit anywhere else! 

Home Office Organization Ideas

Isn't it beautiful!? Haha, I really do love that thing. I started a tag on my website so that you can follow along with my Cricut creations. I make use of the vertical space and hang my sticky mats on either side of the bookshelf. 

Home Office Organization Ideas


Command hooks are my best friend!

Home Office Organization Ideas

January?! Nope, it's still September, I just hid my current calendar so you can't be extra nosey. This is what I look at the most, besides my screen. I have the glass dry erase board from Ikea, two cork boards and a few photos I love. In addition to my monthly calendar

Laptop is an Asus, which has been great. Mouse pad and notebook are Erin Condren. The notebook is sitting on an acrylic stand, also from EC.

Home Office Organization Ideas

I recently added my Disney pins to my corkboard and it always makes me smile! Previously, I had them on my backpack that I took the the parks. Last time we were there 2 of my pins popped off and I decided I didn't want to risk it anymore. This is a fun way to see them everyday! I kind of started a dog collection. 

Home Office Organization Ideas

On top of the drawer system from Ikea, I have another lamp. It's best feature is that it has a USB port at the base, so it's so convenient to charge my tablet and my wireless headphones. Another new addition to this area is this black file box. It was a super easy and cheap way to organize a few things that just floated around before.

I also love diffusing calming essential oils while I work. This diffuser was really inexpensive, but works really well. (Here are some of my favorite diffuser blends!)

Wanna look inside my drawers?
Home Office Organization Ideas

Home Office Organization Ideas

Home Office Organization Ideas

The absolute key to keeping drawers organized is using sorters!! These drawers always look like this. It's because everything has a spot. The top drawer has an Ikea organizer that was meant to go with this piece. It fits perfectly! The next two drawers are a combination of old boxes I've kept and drawer sorters from Walmart. You do not need to go out and buy drawer organizers! (Although the Dollar Tree has a great selection for $1.) Save packaging and use that! All of my button making parts are stored in a gift box from one of Blake's anniversary presents last year. 

Home Office Organization Ideas

Alright, here is further proof I did not clean up! This rolling cart is home to all of my Vinyl. The top has my HTV (for fabric), my stencil paper, and transfer paper rolls. The middle shelf holds all of my traditional vinyl. There is a lot. It used to be in cute little rolls, but my stash got too big. I have just about every color they make. 

The bottom shelf holds some blanks. A few tea towels, t-shirts, some plain water bottles...just stuff that I can use to whip together a quick gift. I also have a few canvases tucked away for my next reverse canvas projects

Okay guys, your turn! Let's talk in the comments below. Tell me what you think! Could you work in this space? How do you stay organized? Do you even have a home office? 

You may like: Our Home Tour
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Home Office Organization Tour

Monday, September 16, 2019

This will sort of be a continuation of what we've been up to this summer! Our summers are so full, and sometimes I crave the fall season so things slow down a bit. Then I realize we have been having so much fun this summer! Minus my wisdom tooth fiasco, anyway.

Enjoying the Water! 
We've been able to go out on my sister's boat several times this summer and it has been a blast. There is nothing like the wind in your face.


Also had a beach day with my cousin Anna, who lives in St. Augustine. Genuinely would love to do this weekly. The beach is so perfect there, and my sister and I love to stop at the outlet mall before we hit the beach. Here's a no-make-up-just-happy-faces selfie:


And enjoying the pool at my mom's place! I've really been enjoying the Alba Botanicals Sunscreen this summer. However, I'm still on the hunt for the perfect mineral sunscreen that doesn't make me white as a ghost. 


Trying to master the half-tuck:
I am trying desperately to get the half-tuck right. Some people make it look so effortless! With my body style, I think it helps my proportions if I do it. Here was a day that I felt like I got it right, haha: 


Breweries Galore
Since returning from Europe Blake has been on a quest to find this Belgium beer he fell in love with. We can't find it anywhere, and to ship it over is like $50 just for 4 bottles. So, we've been trying to fill the void with some craft beers. We actually love going to breweries, and boy, there are so many now!

We finally made it to Halpatters, which is the most local brewery to us. We had a really fun triple date night there, and had a blast! To be honest, Blake and I didn't love the beer we tried (there were a lot of choices though, and we haven't tried everything yet!) but, the atmosphere was great. You can't beat live music and hanging out with friends. They also have ping pong and foosball, which is what we were playing in the bottom picture. The lighting in that room was next to nothing, so Blake held up his flashlight which only added to the fun.



We also tried DEEP in Tallahassee, which was GREAT! Their beer is so good, and we bought some to take home. It's kind of in a neighborhood, and not the biggest brewery in town, so it wasn't busy at all. We really enjoyed hanging out with my mom and dad and dreaming of opening our own brewery one day. (4 people who have no idea how to brew beer...we just like to drink it...haha.)



Enjoying Our Own Home
We had some weird down time last week, because of the hurricane. All the projections in the beginning had it coming right up the State, and then we didn't even get a drop of rain. We spent some time prepping-which included buying a new grill. I don't think ours has worked since Irma in 2017, so it was time for an upgrade. 

There was the very slightest hint of fall in the air as well! We know it won't cool down for real here until November or December, but I was really enjoying being outside without feeling oppressed by the heat. In fact, we even sat out on the front porch for a few hours doing work and it was so nice. 



I love our new little fire feature! It was super easy to install, and adds so much ambiance. The grill works perfectly, and I was surprised that even though it's technically a big griddle, you still get grill marks. 

Since this meal, we have since done some pressure washing and bought a little canopy as a grill station. It looks really nice! I'll have to snap a picture to share. We also decluttered and rearranged some of our outdoor decor and furniture. As soon as the temperatures decrease a little, I'd really like to have a dinner party on our back porch


More Boats! 
A big group rented 2 pontoons to take out on the St Marks River and into the Gulf. Oh my gosh, it was the perfect day! It was equal parts fun and relaxing. Plus we got to hang out with friends we rarely get to see. 



I picked up this Columbia Tidal Tee and it is a gamechanger for the sun! It's perfect for covering up, but also dries quickly too. 




Wisdom Teeth Saga Continues
Unfortunately, just as I thought my life was back to normal after having my wisdom teeth removed, I got an infection. My doctor said it was super rare, and not my fault. Apparently a tiny little hole in my gums got some bacteria in it and got infected. 

I was working, and thought I was coming down with a cold. My sinuses were hurting, I had a low grade fever, aches and chills...so I went home early. That evening, it turned into brutal tooth pain. The next morning I woke up and my cheek was the size of a tennis ball. It was so painful. I went in to the doctor right away and he was able to help me out. 

Essentially, they had to cut a hole in my cheek and put in a drain. It was so uncomfortable, but I was thrilled to get some relief. I will spare you all the details, but what came out of my cheek was pretty disgusting. That drain, plus 2 weeks worth of the strongest antibiotics have me feeling much better. Within 4 days the swelling was gone, which was the worst part. 

This was me on the way to the doctor: 


It hurts just looking a that cheek! Super interestingly, my doctor said that was the side that was the most straightforward as far as the removal went. In fact, when he figured out what the problem was, he started numbing the wrong area, because it's so rare to have a top tooth get infected like that. I'm glad I spoke up! It was such a rare reaction that several people in the office wanted to look. Great, right? Glad I could provide some entertainment! (No, but seriously, this office is great and I would recommend them to anyone.) 

I still have a pretty big hole in my cheek, but I can eat fairly normally again and life goes on!

Desperate to eat something other than oatmeal, I tried the Chick Fil A Mac and Cheese! I've been wanting to try it, but probably wouldn't have ordered it normally. It's really tasty! Not healthy in the slightest, but really good! 


Pupdate!
I always try to end these posts with some pug pics! You know my camera roll has dozens of pictures of these crazy dogs. They've been glued to my side as I convoless. 



 Told you there has been a lot of oatmeal in my life lately. 





Let's Chat! Glad we could catch up! Leave a comment below and tell me how the end of your summer is going. 
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Life Lately #7

Monday, September 9, 2019


Hello!

Hi friends! I'm Kristen, and this is the Life and Style of an early 30's Floridian living the Best Life Ever, with her husband and three pugs. Runner | Avid Reader | Small Shop Owner

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