Just 5 Things

Cappuccino

I haven't been a huge coffee drinker in my adult life. If we are at a coffee shop, I've actually been more likely to order a tea! Cold brew has stolen my heart though in the last few years. We bought a Ninja Barista this year and I've felt like it's sort of a waste on us...until now. After our trip to Italy, we are not full on espresso people! I'm really enjoying cappuccino specifically. These cups and saucers are awesome! 

Builder Gel

Having my nails done is ideal for me. It's hard with all the cleaning I do to commit to nice nails. For our trip I went to the salon and tried out builder gel. It's such a game changer! It's expensive, but I think it might be something I keep up with for a little bit. The proceeding pictures show my last two manicures! So fun. Especially proud that those are my real nails under there! I never get them this long. 

Dancing With The Stars

I just love DWTS! I need to know who else is watching. It's a show I've always loved, but I feel like they've had especially good seasons recently. There are some fantastic dancers this season too! Avoiding social media is challenging, there are so many spoilers. I try to watch the next morning as soon as possible. I'm always just blown away at the physicality and athleticism of the dancers. 

My Reading Challenge!

Guys, this is the first time ever that I've completed my reading challenge this early. I've read 100 books this year! And it's only October! I'm very excited, and happy to say there have been some solid books on that list. I have multiple books in the running for the top title of the year.

Book of the Month

BOTM is a fun subscription to have! I don't get it every month, but this one was an easy 'yes'. I am very excited to read the new John Green, but haven't started it yet. This box leveled up my status to BFF, and now I get a bunch of free stuff! I love that. Get a hard back book for $5!

Another fun book subscription to mention! Have I talked about Books A Trillion before? It was the coolest hack. They had a bazillion kindle books to choose from. They obviously got themselves into hot water with the name, and BoM shut them down. But, they've reopened with Send Your Books and it's such an upgrade. I am slightly disappointed that the price has changed from a one time fee to a monthly/yearly sub. But, the website is so much better, and so is the sending process. Yay for more reading!
 

-Kristen

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Just 5 Things

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

My New Travel Backpack | Samsonite Paralux 2 in 1 Backpack Review

In preparation for our upcoming vacation, I invested in a new backpack to help with packing! Traveling around Italy with a large suitcase is just not an option. My Monos carry on will be great, but I needed a little extra space. We are going to be gone for awhile without access to laundry. 

I did all the research for you so you don't have to! This is the coolest, most practical backpack. The Samsonite Paralux 2 in 1 is such a cool concept. It's a large backpack, with a compartment for clothing and a laptop. What sets it apart is the detachable front. This section comes completely off and makes a smaller backpack! It's so smart. I can pack a ton, and then if I need a smaller bag to carry around site seeing I can just unzip the front. 

A few extra features I'm excited about: there is an spot for an airtag, it has an expandable water bottle holder, and the quality just feels lux. This bag has the strap that let's you stack it on to your rolling suitcase. 

I went with the Stone Gray color option, but all 4 options were tempting. If you are into a matching set, there is a coordinating carry on suitcase. 

The section for clothes isn't outrageously big, but I am confident I can fit a good amount between my two bags. Next step is trying to figure out outfits and what I can mix and match. 

It did take me a minute to figure out what the odd keychain on the side is for. ChatGPT helped me figure out it's something you can have engraved with our initials! There was no option to personalize at checkout so I'm not sure what's up with that. Fortunately, I can monogram it myself so I've got to think about how I want to do that. 

I watched the price on both Amazon and Samsonite's website and waited for a sale! If you do shop directly with Samsonite, make sure you activate Rakuten for cash back! I love seeing those deposits. 

-Kristen

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My New Travel Backpack | Samsonite Paralux 2 in 1 Backpack Review

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

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

Old Navy & Halara Haul

My closet has really transformed this year! My sense of style has evolved a little, but so has my body. After losing a little bit of weight doing 75 Hard, I find myself in sort of an awkward stage with clothes. Quite a bit from my wardrobe is a little big, but I didn't quite lose enough to go down a size. With our Italy and Greece trip coming up I knew I was going to have to buy a few things. 

Halara has some great travel pieces, and I grabbed a few of their bottoms to hopefully mix and match. I really like the linen feel! I went with my normal size medium in all of them, and opted for tall. One of the colors did not come in tall and I am taking it to the tailor today because it's too short. I'm 5, 6" - not that tall, but my inseam is like a 33. Halara's sizing chart was right on.

Tops are a major struggle for me! Definitely between sizes. Additionally, I'm sort of a contradiction because even though I have a tall inseam, my torso is actually really short. I'm loving the crop top trend we've been having because I can get shirts that are an appropriate length for me! 

Old Navy had a big back to school sale so I took advantage of that and ordered 10 tops. Well, 9, one was for Blake. Old Navy can be hit or miss. I find their sizing to be extremely inconsistent. I returned 3 tops, exchanged one for a different size and kept the others. So a success! 

Make sure to activate Rakuten if you shop on Old Navy online! We like free money.

Ok, here's the haul!

Ribbed Snug Tee - Black Coffee & My trusty Levi Shorts! I have these shorts in 3 colors as well. I've been gravitating toward brown a lot this year! (You'll notice that as you scroll down.) This is a great tee, it's stretchy but snug too. 

Bestee in Earth Brown Stripe and my Wantable jeans. This outfit I have in mind for our trip as well. I also purchased some New Balance sneakers that I really need to break in before all the walking we are going to do. (Direct link to jeans)

The 'You're Gorgeous' decal is available in my Etsy shop!

It doesn't get any more effortless than this! This is the double layered scoop neck top in black coffee, and I did size up in this top. These are the Halara pants I'm almost sure you've seen an Insta ad for. They are fab! They are most certainly high waisted, and I did get the tall size.

The snug tee in Earthen and the Halara straight leg linen feel pants in deep secluded blue. So comfy and easy!

The double layered scoop neck again, but in the navy color, and paired with those same Halara pants but in dune mirage. This particular color pants look sheer when held to the light, but on the body doesn't seem to be a problem. I also purchased these pants in the color dark earthy brown - but those are on their way to the tailor! 

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-Kristen

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Old Navy & Halara Haul

Monday, August 31, 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

Nashville Inspired 15th Anniversary Party

Over the weekend we celebrated my sister and brother in law's 15th wedding anniversary! I threw them a party at a local brewery and did a Nashville theme. They love going to Nashville, and my BIL is a musician. This idea came to me months ago, and it was really cool to see it come to life! 

We kept it simple and just invited friends to come, hang out, and have a beer. I made a Spotify playlist, and my mom made a slideshow of cute photos of the guests of honor. (Pro tip: make sure there is a picture of all the attendees in the slideshow! People love to see themselves.) 

We had the food catered, and we had a super fun photo booth! My big splurge was hiring an artist to put together a balloon arch and backdrop. It blew me away and was truly the centerpiece of the party!

It was pretty easy to make some centerpieces! I got some discoball vases and some planters from Walmart that look like cowboy hats. Some heart shaped glasses and bandana printed napkins were just some cute extra details. 

When I got an Instagram ad for these pants back in January, I knew I had to buy them for the party. They are actually really great jeans, and I may just buy some in regular denim!

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-Kristen

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Nashville Inspired 15th Anniversary Party

Sunday, August 23, 2026

New Bedding From Quince

The quest for the perfect bedding for our bedroom seems like it never ends! How often you are supposed to wash your bedding is probably up for debate - but we sleep with our dogs, so we launder all the linens frequently. Because of that, it seems like our bedding just doesn't last! 

We did invest in some great sheets from Target about 6 months ago, as well as a duvet set. I do like the duvet, but it's a 2+ person job to reassemble! Plus, while our house stays at a comfortable temperature, it's Florida! The thick blankets were just not working for us these last few months. A quilt set is much more functional. 

After lots of looking, I chose this fantastic set from Quince! I have to say, I was blown away with the quality. When you have a king bed there is always a bit of sticker shock when it comes to buying bedding, but this is absolutely a case of you get what you pay for. 

We went with the color Ocean, which is a gorgeous deep teal. It ended up working great with the decorative pillows and lamp we already owned. I'm so happy with this choice! I wrestled with it, because I loved so many of the options. Big fan of not letting one purchase snowball into another. For example, we didn't want to replace the gray curtains (although I would like to change them out, I didn't want to spend the money on that right now.) which I would have wanted to do if we went with another colorway. We also had to contend with what masks pug hair well...

Have you purchased anything from Quince?! I bought a few linen items this year and love them. This is my first purchase in the home category!

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-Kristen

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New Bedding From Quince

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

75 Hard Complete!

We did it! I'm so happy to report that Blake and I completed the 75 Hard Challenge last week. I was fairly confident we would be able to do it, but it's still a bit of a surprise that we were able to accomplish all the tasks for 75 days. 

The 75 Hard Challenge is a 75 day challenge where you have to complete several tasks each day. You must drink 1 gallon of water. You have to do two 45 minute work outs each day, and one of them has to be outside. You choose a diet to stick to, and can have no cheat days. No alcohol. You have to read 10 pages of non fiction each day. And you also take a progress photo every single day. If you miss a task you have to start over from day one. 

Thoughts

Overall, we are SO happy we did this challenge. I think there were days when it was extremely challenging, but for the most part we got into the routine and it just felt normal by the end of it. My body got used to all the water and the movement and almost needed it. I'd rename it to the 75 Inconvenient Challenge. All the task are just plain inconvenient. 

I dealt with an injury during this challenge - and I'm happy to say that's all better now! So frustrating. But hey, if I can have food poisoning and an injury and still complete the challenge, that's something. 

Results

I know that's what you're here for! Blake and I both lost 10 pounds. I don't have his measurements off hand, but I know we are having to take in most of his work pants by an inch. I am down one inch in every spot, except my hips which lost 3 inches. 

I wasn't going to share my Day 1 v Day 75 pictures, but hey what the heck, here ya go. 

Non Scale Victories

By far the greatest result from our challenge has been becoming closer as a couple. I've enjoyed doing this together, and especially loved our daily walks. It's awesome to work towards something together! 

Seeing all our clothes fit better is also very exciting. I have quite a few pieces that are just too big now. 

Going Forward

There are several things I'd like to keep doing post 75 Hard. Reading 10 pages isn't high on the priority list for me, because I already read a lot. I also don't think a progress photo every day is needed any longer. But, I would like to continue working out daily and walking when possible. Some days we really phoned in our 2nd work out because it was late at night, going forward I wouldn't force myself to do that. 

I want to keep up with my calorie deficit and the water intake! One of the days last week when the challenge was over, I noticed myself getting a headache. I hadn't had one in so long, and I realized it was because I hadn't had a lot of water yet. My body has really gotten used to the gallon of water and I think it needs it.

Many people do a second round, or do Phase 2 of the official challenge. We knew our week after 75 Hard was going to be crazy, and it was. I felt so off track so quickly! Starting August 1st, I plan on doing my own challenge rules for 50 days. That gets us to our Italy trip, and I want to go into that feeling great!

In conclusion, I'm really happy I did this challenge! I think it would be awesome for any one. Every single person I've spoken to about the challenge has given me all the reasons they couldn't possibly do it themselves. That's reason enough to me that they should try, but I know the reality is not many people can do this. People just don't like to do hard things! It's hard! It's another reason reaching the end feels so satisfying. 

-Kristen

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75 Hard Complete!

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

75 Hard | Day 50 Check In

We dog sat my sister's pup Sammy this month, and she was very confused by all of our living room work out sessions!

We are still in this thing! Blake and I are just over day 50 of the 75 Hard Challenge. The 75 Hard Challenge is a 75 day challenge where you have to complete several tasks each day. You must drink 1 gallon of water. You have to do two 45 minute work outs each day, and one of them has to be outside. You choose a diet to stick to, and can have no cheat days. No alcohol. You have to read 10 pages of non fiction each day. And you also take a progress photo every single day. If you miss a task you have to start over from day one. 

For my diet I have chosen to have a calorie deficit, with at least 100 grams of protein each day. For my outdoor workouts, I am doing a walk, and then changing it up from day to day for my indoor workout. 

75 Hard has an official App and that's what I'm using to keep track of each task. Our first day was May 4.

Thoughts

I know for sure I could not have gotten this far without a partner. Blake has kept me accountable and helped get me moving many times. I'm so grateful he decided to do this with me! 

With my 25 day check in, I said the water had been the hardest part. I'm happy to say this has gotten a lot easier. It's still something I have to consciously track throughout the day, but most days I have finished my water far before dinner. Interestingly, I'm still thirsty even after getting through a gallon! It's June in Florida, so I'm sure that keeps me from feeling hydrated. 

The 35-40 day mark is what I believe to be the hardest so far. In the beginning, you have a lot of excitement and newness to your routine. Although I haven't gotten that far yet, I think that it will be really hard to give up closer to the end. That mid point is just tiring, without the shiny newness. 

Obstacles

I'm still dealing with my bursitis, and that has been mentally exhausting. It's so frustrating to not be at 100%. It seems like it's getting better overall and will just take time. I feel that I could have pushed myself harder this past month, if it hadn't been for my injury. One thing that has been helping is deep stretching, so I think I will incorporate more yoga as we near the end of the 75 days.

As I mentioned, June in Florida makes this challenge difficult for a few reasons. The weather here has been SO rainy, which is great for the earth - hard for the schedule. We've just had to keep an eye on the radar every day and made adjustments to our outdoor workout plans. 

Results

Well, it's not over yet - but we are seeing results! I haven't lost much more weight since the 25 day check in, but my body is changing for sure. The definition in my arms is actually pretty impressive (to me anyway). 

People are also noticing changes, which is a big benchmark. Clothes are fitting better...etc.

Laundry is still a challenge, I can't believe how many work out clothes we are going through! 

-Kristen

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75 Hard | Day 50 Check In

Friday, June 26, 2026