Friday Five | 9-4-26

Rearranging Furniture

I was totally the kid who loved to rearrange her bedroom growing up. Our home doesn't have a lot of flexibility when it comes to furniture placement. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but we've had everything pretty much set since we moved in. To keep this story short, we ended up with a very large fiddle leaf fig tree. Its glorious, but not something I would have purposely bought! It's so big, and our place is on the smaller side. Over the weekend we were able to reconfigure our living room a little bit and I love the fresh feel! Now the tree feels a little more on purpose. 

Oceanside Lavender

Not a huge candle girl, but I will say I'm loving this one! We had my niece for a week this summer, and we took an excursion to the mall. I got an instant head ache in Bath and Body Works - but somehow left with a few lotions and this candle. I put it under our candle warmer, and it smells SO good. I'm a sucker for lavender though. 

Grove Haul

It's been a minute since I've gotten a Grove box! This was a fun one. I got my seasonal Mrs. Meyers order. I really like to do acorn spice for the fall! Additionally, I got a new flat mop combo thingy from Ecloth. Very impressed! Grove came out with their own version of these cloths and I'm really excited about them too. They work great! 

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Focaccia

I have so enjoyed my Sourdough journey! It took so long to 'master' the traditional sourdough loaf. I've only just now started venturing into other sourdough adventures. One thing I have fallen in love with is focaccia! It's very simple to make and SUCH a crowd pleaser. I made some for friends the other week, and she asked me to make a bigger batch for a party over the weekend. I can't wait to get into the fall season and experiment with cinnamon or desserty flavors. 

Etsy Frustrations

I need a little vent. I closed my Etsy shop earlier this year just to focus on other pursuits. I had many many messages of previous customers hoping to reorder matching labels to their previous purchases - so I caved an reopened. Starting in July, the post office has lost multiple (more than 6) orders! July also marked a price hike in shipping for USPS ground. The problem is, Etsy doesn't love it when you don't offer tracking numbers, and if it weren't for those tracking numbers I would have been lost in helping with those lost orders. 

I tried not to raise my shipping prices because people are quickly turned off by that. We live in a free shipping world! Amazon gets you stuff shipped for free the next day. But, I caved and had to raise them a bit when I actually made zero dollars on a small order because their shipping costs were some how higher than the average order and I had to cover the difference. 

Additionally, I've had some customers leave less than 5 star reviews because they didn't read the listing description and got something they weren't expecting. I've dealt with extremely needy customers as well who are not happy with ultra custom requests. Tweak after tweak after tweak for a $5 item. 

I dunno. I'm obviously just annoyed! Then I get sweet reviews or someone who has loyally ordered from me for years. Or the direct deposit, that's nice too. Blake is telling me to close it again, and I will have to before we travel next month so maybe I just won't reopen for awhile. 

-Kristen

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Friday Five | 9-4-26

Friday, September 4, 2026

Friday Five | 8-28-26

One | Office Chair

I got a new office chair, one big enough for me and the pugs to fit in! It's so huge, it's a little ridiculous. The dogs just want to be glued to me all the time, so when I'm working upstairs they just whine. This chair is designed to be one for gaming. You can sit criss cross, or extend a foot rest from the bottom. It's insanely comfy! 

Two | Baby Squirrel Rescue

While pet sitting last week, their cat got a baby squirrel in the back yard! It was terrible, but the little guy wasn't too hurt. I put him in a box at the base of a tree and hoped it's mom would come back. But, she didn't, and the heat index was well over 100 degrees. We have a local rescue in the area that works with native wildlife. They held my hand over the phone with what to do, and they directed me to a drop off location that wasn't too far down the road. I gave them all my information so I really hope to find out what happens to this little guy! 

Three | New Defined Dish Cookbook! 

I'm not a big cookbook person. Making up recipes is my preference. But, Defined Dish is the exception! I absolutely love all 4 of her cookbooks. We keep them all within reach because we are so often making our favorite recipes. Alex just released a new book, and it finally arrived! I pre ordered it months ago. Very excited to jump into this one. The recipe on the cover looks SO good.

I actually shared my reviews about 15 meals from her last book on the blog!

Four | Half Marathon

Well, I did it. I signed up for another Half! I really mulled it over, but ultimately decided to go for it. I do my best work when I have a goal and a deadline. This one is local, and will be on February 7th. My favorite training plan is 20 weeks, so I knew I was going to have to pull the trigger since that's soon. 

I have a lot of thoughts to get out about this, but I know listening to someone talk about running isn't that great. This time will be different. I will have to wrap my mind about running it on my own, and I think I'm going to go about training a little bit differently too. Post 75 Hard, I have higher expectations of myself. Plus, running 10 pounds lighter than last year will be something I hope will help! 

Five | Strange New Worlds

SNW is one of my favorite shows on right now. I really really have enjoyed the show and have happily recommended it to everyone. This season though is SO wild?! The first episode was fabulous, and then each subsequent episode was such a 180 in the genre jumping. And then puppets?! I'm just so confused! 

-Kristen

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Friday Five | 8-28-26

Friday, August 28, 2026

Friday Five | 6-12-26

Happy Friday!

1. Grove Co Delivery

I used to share my monthly Grove orders all the time, but honestly I haven't been ordering too often. Grove was perfect for me when we lived in a smaller town with not much variety at the store. Now that we live in a bigger city, I can get most of the products I like in our Walmart pick ups. But! There are a few thing I still love to get and that makes those orders feel more special! 

One of the main things I was SO excited to get was my favorite Mrs Meyers summer scent - tomato vine! It's such a specific smell, and I feel like IYKYK. I also really love the Sea Salt scent from Muse Apothecary, and got a set for our guest bathroom.

I do have a $15 referral link if you'd like to give Grove a try.

2. Another Delivery! Butcher Box

Okay, so literally everyone we know is getting a Butcher Box gift box for their special occasions this year. Food is so expensive, and who doesn't love receiving something so practical? I don't do BB every month, but maybe quarterly. I love love love the quality and having a freezer stocked up. 

Some of my favorites: the apple gouda sausage, their bacon, ground beef, and our free steaks! Blake bought me a grill for our anniversary this year, and I have enjoyed it so much. It's a small Blackstone, and really easy to use. Grilled food just tastes better. 

My link gets you a free box and free ground beef for life! You do have to pay shipping and be a new customer. PLUS, if you activate Rakuten there is a lot of cash back available for BB.

3. Fresh Work Out Clothes

Since we have been doing 75 Hard, I can't believe how much laundry we are going through. I have quite the collection of active clothing, but it became clear I needed to replace a few items. Specifically, sports bras! My favorite sports bra for running is a Fabletics high impact bra. I don't like to wear those for weight training, and don't really need that much compression for things like walking. So, I found this one on Amazon and it's just perfect! I ordered 3 colors and have found myself grabbing them straight out of the dryer. 

4. Mocktails

Recess makes the best canned mocktails! I've enjoyed trying all the flavors, but the Mule is my favorite. Just delicious, and there really is something to the adaptogen element. I always feel more relaxed after drinking one. I brought these with us to the Keys, and my family enjoyed drinking them too. Although they said they'd be better with a little alcohol in them, hah!

Blake and I enjoyed grilling last Friday with our yummy drinks! I ordered the margarita sample pack to take with me to the beach next week. 

5. Recent Reads📚

Long Bright River by Liz Moore - I really loved God of the Woods and this book had great reviews. Mickey is a police officer in Philly, who works in a pretty rough area. Her sister Kacey is on those same streets, struggling with addiction. Kacey goes missing, around the same time as a serial killer is in the area. I don't really think I've read many books from the perspective of the police, so this was interesting. It got a little redundant but I enjoyed the few twists and turns. 

Good Joy Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer - LOVED this one. Joy is a woman in her late 80's, she's always done the traditional right things and played it safe. Her best friend Hazel is the opposite - she's traveled the world and lived a full life. But she just got a very sad diagnosis. Joy decides to live a little and do a few 'bad' things to be more like Hazel. This is so sweet and tender! Warning you will cry at the end. 

The Shippers by Katherine Center - I really love a few Katherine Centers, but have also been kind of underwhelmed by a few so this was a toss up. Ultimately, I think there were some strong moments of this book and it was cute! But, I really think the cruise element was so underdeveloped. Like this could have taken place anywhere, the setting was not flushed out. And the main male character was wearing sweater vests to the Bahamas? I dunno, it just felt like maybe KC has never been on a cruise. 

The Good Lie by AR Torre - Gwen Moore is a therapist for people who might become killers, or have violent tendencies, etc. She deals with the really bad stuff. There is a serial killer in their area, and a victim has escaped. She starts to work with a lawyer named Robert who's own son was one of the victims. Robert doesn't believe the accused is the real killer. Overall this was fine, there were some good twists, but I haven't gone out of my way to recommend it to anyone. 

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-Kristen

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Friday Five | 6-12-26

Friday, June 12, 2026

Friday Five | 5-22-26

Happy Friday! 

One | Book of the Month for May

I was so excited for my BotM box for May! I actually chose 3 books! A cute little summer line up of pool reads. These are all To Be Read, so I'll keep you updated if any are 5 star reads. I have a link that lets your try Book of the Month for $5! I don't really hold onto books, I usually pass them on to a friends or a Free Little Library, but I do love the look of my book shelf with the BotM titles since they line up so nice. 

I went with: The Shippers, Our Perfect Storm, and Good Joy, Bad Joy

Two | Waterless Diffuser 

This is such a great passive diffuser. It's cord free, so you can stick it anywhere. Plus, no water needed! I've really enjoyed walking into the room where this diffuser is on a timer. Right now I have it filled with a Green Clover and Aloe scent which is a Disney Resort copy cat. So fresh!!

Three | Outdoor Concert

We had the best night out recently! Our city hosted an outdoor concert in the park under the most gorgeous oaks. It happened to be glorious weather too. The band was Paul McDonald & The Morning Doves (I think). He was on American Idol like 15 years ago, but what a great performer. Other than having a fun night with our friends, the people watching was the best part of the evening.

You can't really see it in the photo, but I am obsessed with the dress I wore for the evening! It came in my Wantable box and I immediately took the tags off and wore it. They really know me, I've gotten some great boxes recently. 

Four | Whimsical Decor

I have really been gravitating towards cute things that make me smile! I added these fun little bronze snails to our window ledge and it's exactly on brand for whimsical. If you're the type with a home library, I think these would be just darling crawling over books. 

Five | Quince Dress

Eeeek, I'm so in love with this dress! It fits like a dream and the quality is just right. I'd love one in every color please.

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-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-22-26

Friday, May 22, 2026

Friday Five | 5-8-26

One | Melbourne, FL

We were able to squeeze in a great weekend visiting family in Melbourne! We were only there for a few days, but we did quite a bit. Including: a zoo visit, multiple games of pickleball, a beach day, a trip to Ron Jon the surf shop, lots of yummy meals, and card games. 

Finding that teeny tiny starfish was a life highlight! 

Two | 75 Hard

Blake and I started 75 Hard this week. I have been looking into the challenge for the better part of year, but felt like there wasn't going to be a better time to try it! Blake surprised me by saying he was down to go for it too, but I'm so glad - that's going to make it easier. If you haven't heard of 75 Hard, it's a mental toughness challenge. It's 75 days of sticking to 2 45 minute work outs (one outdoors), a diet of your choice, 10 pages of non fiction reading, a gallon of water, no alcohol, taking a progress photo each day, and no cheats. If you miss one thing, you have to start over. It's obviously hard, that's in the name! But, after succeeding in running a half marathon, I was craving another way to challenge my self discipline. None of those things are impossible, just inconvenient. We'll see! So far so good.

Three | Embroidered Hat

An impulse buy if there ever was one, but I love this hat! It's such a cute, slightly elevated baseball hat. Perfect for spring and summer. A great gift too, if you know someone who loves their plants. 

Four | New Phone Case

An impulse buy, but I could not love my new phone case more! The pattern is from Rifle Paper Co, and it's called Studious Dogs. The cutest!! I would have gotten the matching Kindle case if they had my size. All the doggies are cute, but of course I'm partial to the pug with the pencil in it's mouth.

Five | Rainbow Time

I call every morning when the sun slips into our living room 'rainbow time', because we have the most beautiful prisms cast into the room. I have a cute little sun crystal, and a disco ball planter that adds just a bit of joy to every day. 

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-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-8-26

Friday, May 8, 2026

Friday Five | 5-1-26

Me hanging out at an Open House last weekend ⬆️

Aside from my work shirt, I really love this outfit! The skirt is so comfy and so are the shoes. I get compliments on my necklace every time I wear it.

One | Laguna Beach Reunion

Nothing could have possibly taken me back to 2003 like watching the Laguna reunion! I loved this show, and completely admit to it influencing my fashion and music choices at the time. It was cool to see how everyone is doing - some have been famous this whole time, and others have chosen more normal lives. 

Two | My Little Garden

My brother in law made me a really cool tiered garden stand, and I was so happy to get a few plants going! My lime tree also got relocated and seems to be thriving in it's new spot. This side of the house gets the perfect light for plants, so I'm trying to take advantage of it. 

Three | Smell Like A Cookie

Do you want to smell like a sweet, vanilla cupcake or cookie? If so, I have the perfect body spray for you. The Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 71 smells just like a sweet treat. I got the travel size and you only need a spritz or two.

Four | Race Medal Display

I finally figured out what to do with my collection of race medals! I have been keeping them in a closet, and felt like they really should be displayed somehow. I got a shadow box, and rolled up the medals using clear elastics. It turned out really cute! A fun conversation piece. 

Five | Recent Reads 📚

Because it's been so long since I've done a post, I have too many books to recap! I'm going to shorten the list to the ones worth mentioning:

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum - Loved this story about 2 best friends who have a podcast together. It's not really a thriller, but has a nice paced mystery! I kept thinking, I really want to listen to their podcast! Highly recommend the audiobook.

The Frozen People by Elly Griffith - This was a premise about a detective who's company actually goes back in time to discover evidence. 

Little One by Olivia Muenter - A very interesting book about a girl who grew up in a cult in Florida. Our main character sure has got some issues, but I really like Olivia's writing. 

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn - Not what I expected at all. Kate Quinn is known for her historical fiction, so I was really surprised this was about a world where you can live inside a book. She gets a little ranty about social issues but this was obviously an ode to her love of libraries! 

Into The Blue by Emma Brodie - Gosh, what gorgeous writing! I was immediately transported to the time it was set in. I've also never really heard much about the techniques employed by actors before, so that was interesting. The chemistry between the two leads was fabulous - just had to skip several chapters for explicit content. 

Two books that were captivating but I also hated: Yesteryear and Best Offer Wins. The most unlikable people doing the most unlikeable, unbelievable things! 

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-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-1-26

Friday, May 1, 2026

Friday Five | 3-13-26

1. Gate River Run

Ugh. I was absolutely crazy to sign up for this. It was 1 week after my Half, and I thought what a cool way to keep the running routine going. A 15k is a lot less miles than a half, right?! This was BRUTAL. I've done the Gate once before and found it really challenging. This year it was in a new location because of construction. Jacksonville really shows up for this race, and I love the vibes throughout the neighborhoods! 

The race didn't start until 8am, and this weekend happened to be HOT. It was already too warm at the start, and it just got hotter from there. The most challenging part of this race is a huge bridge at mile 8. By then, the sun is beating down and you have to go up hill. The finish line has also been moved, so you can't see it for the longest time. When I tell you people were falling out right and left! I've never seen someone so pale. Lot of people are doing shots and chugging beer throughout the race, so that led to a lot of vomit on the bridge too. 

I was not very proud of my race, but glad I finished. The post race celebrations were also out in the sun, and not a shade tree to be found. I can't tell you how many people we saw calling out for medics after the race! If they had just started it an hour earlier it would have made all the difference.

After a yummy lunch, we hit up the beach and that was worth all the suffering! 😂

2. Skylight Calendar

My amazing sister rallied our families to all chip in to get us a Skylight Calendar! I have had one in my Amazon cart for like 2 years, but never wanted to spend the money. It's been amazing. We are so reliant on our digital calendars with how busy we are. The Skylight syncs with all our calendars and has amazing chore/routine checklists. Our Skylight also came with meal planning features too. We've only had it a few weeks but it's made our communication so much better. I really like tracking our dogs medication schedule with it - Blake and I are completely on the same page with when Bailey got her last dose. 

3. Warrenties

I just have to say, I appreciate brands that stand behind their products!! First, my Oura ring suddenly had a weird battery problem. Normally, my ring lasts for almost a week without having to charge, but it started having to be charged daily. I chatted with Oura and they logged into my ring, saw that it did indeed have a problem, and promptly sent me a new one. Took less than 5 minutes. 

When I fell in January, I damaged my brand new Brooks. I had them for like 2 weeks, it was so sad. With a race coming up though, I didn't want to delay breaking in another pair. My aunt reminded me that Brooks has a 90 day trial, and so I just shot my shot and asked them about replacement...and they are sending me a pair! This might be my 8th pair of Ghosts, so I appreciate that they were loyal back to me.

4. Books I've Read Recently 📚

Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender - As I type this, I am having trouble remembering this book..if that tells you anything. Nora is the 2nd, younger wife to a wealthy man in Winter Park, Fl. Will goes missing, and Nora tries to figure out what's going on while navigating their elite community. 

James by Percival Everett - 5 Stars! Jim is a slave that finds out he's going to be sold. The same Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - but from his POV. I don't think you need to have read Huckleberry Finn to enjoy this. Slavery is horrible to read about, but this is so captivating. 

Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green - Fantastic! Who knew Tuberculosis could be so fascinating. TB has been the most common viral disease for almost all of human history. John Green's writing makes reading about social/political impacts of a disease so interesting. 

5. Disney Photo Pass

For my Disney Half, I knew I wanted to be able to get all the race photos. I did a lot of research, and so many people recommended the Photo Pass. It's kinda pricey, but you can get all of your photos for a month and it includes everyone in your friends/family list. We got our money's worth! Not only did I get great race photos, but we also stopped and took a bunch while we were there over the weekend. Additionally, Blake's cousin took a trip a week later and I was able to send her all their photos too. There were so many cute ones!

Happy Friday! 

-Kristen

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Friday Five | 3-13-26

Friday, March 13, 2026