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Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Every month or two I do an order with Grove, my go-to for more natural home/personal products. I started ordering from Grove way back when, and have been sharing my hauls ever since! Because we used to live in a small town, this was the best way for me to get the products I wanted with limited options nearby. 

My shopping habits have evolved somewhat, but I still love my Grove boxes! You can use my link to sign up and get 30% off your first order. Plus! If you are new you can use Rakuten for even more cash back. Here's what I got in November:



Rooted Beauty Facial Cleanser - Free Gift!

This is a great basic facial cleanser, I've used it several times. This was a free gift with purchase, and I'm always happy to have a back stock of things like this so I don't have to worry about running low. 

Acure Radically Rejuvenating Under Eye Hydrogels

I LOVE these. They are so useful for hiding a sleepless night or early morning. 

Acure Seriously Soothing Under Eye Hydrogels - Free Gift!

These were also a free gift with purchase, and I am looking forward to giving them a try! They are a different formula than my go-to above. 

Grab Green Garbage Disposal Pods

I never want to run out of these handy pods! I keep them under the sink and pop one or two in the garbage disposal every few days. They smell great and keep the sink fresh. 

Grab Green Cookware Pods

In the same vein, we always keep these on hand. I especially like to use these in the OurPlace Cast Iron pan we use almost daily. You let the pod dissolve, and let the pan sit for a bit before cleaning. 

Grove Co Grout and Tile Brush

This brush is one I already had that needed to be replaced after being used to death. It's a great scrubber, especially for shower tile.

Grove Co Tub & Tile Cleaner Concentrate - Free Gift!

My love of the Grove concentrates know no bounds. I really enjoy using them around the house for typical weekly clean ups, not necessarily for deep cleaning as they are fairly mild. 

Grove Co Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Another restock! I can't have enough of these. They are great dry for dusting, but also work really well in the bathroom too.

Grove Co Unwind Essential Oil Blend

My favorite! Honestly, if I could only choose one blend for my diffuser for the rest of my life, I'd be happy with this one! It's fresh, but also relaxing!

Miami Beach Bum + Body Cream - Sample

I haven't used this yet, but I'm excited to! Gotta love a free sample.

Muse Apothecary Calming Pillow Mist

Eeek! This was a fun item I threw in my cart at the last second, and I'm SO glad I did. It smells incredible! I had planned to keep it in the guest room as a little luxury for anyone staying over, but now I want to keep it in my own room. I think this would also be nice in the living room to freshen up the pillows on the couch. 

UpCircle Facial Serum - Sample

I've gotten this sample a lot! It's a great serum, and feels like a fun additional to my colder month skin routine. 

Full Circle Mirco Manager Detail Brush

Again, I was replacing this brush. My old one was lookin' rough! A great brush for grout or other nooks & crannies. 

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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

November Grove Haul

Tuesday, November 19, 2024


This Month's Order:

Grab Green Cookware Pods

Absolutely love using these! You just drop a pod into your cookware and let it soak for a bit. The scent is really nice, but more importantly it makes it so easy to clean up burned on food.

Grove Co Room Spray Refill 

I'm just about out of the room spray that I keep in my cleaning caddy, so when I saw this scent in the clearance section I added it to my cart. It's a vanilla peppermint scent which I think is a really nice clean smell - especially this time of year. 

Pure Sense Leather Cleaner

My favorite leather cleaner! It works great on our living room couch and chair. 

Method Bathroom Cleaner

I can't find a bathroom cleaner I like more! I use this on sinks and showers (and tubs). It's such a fresh scent and cleans very well. It's in just about every order I make month to month. 

Rooted Beauty Overnight Cream

I have loved this night cream for years! A little goes a long way, so I haven't had to repurchase it very many times. My skin is so dry right now, so I really appreciate how nice this feels on my face. 

Rooted Lip Balm

And, this is my favorite lip balm! Blake actually 'stole' the chapstick I had been using, so I bought myself a fresh one. 

Free Gifts:

Rooted Bar Soap

Are you a bar soap person or a body wash person? I like both, but probably prefer a bar of soap. This is a great one. I often choose their bar soaps as my free gift of the month because I know I will always use them. I have a small backstock of soaps now, but it's cool that 90% of them were free. 

New Chapter Vitamin D

This was a random free gift Grove sent out in an email. I guess it was to introduce a new brand. Either way, I am thrilled to have free vitamins. Especially a Vitamin D since it's so important. 

Free Samples:

Compostable Sandwich Bags

This was a cool sample to get! They feel pretty sturdy despite being made to decompose. 

Good Juju Laundry Strips

I haven't used these yet, but I love the idea of laundry soap sheets. 

Olly Sleep Vitamins

Olly vitamins are a go-to over here. I love them. I have purchased these melatonin vitamins before, but I do try not to rely on them so I don't use them regularly. But, I did use this sample the night before we needed to get up at 5 am the next day and it helped so much. 

Shameless Pet Treats

I'm a bit hesitant to try new things out on the pugs, but I do think they will like these. 

UpCircle Face Serum

Really liked this the last time I tried it, so I was happy to get another sample! Bring on all the oils and creams right now - my wintery skin is soaking it up. 

Weleda Skin Food

Don't love the smell of this, but it is extremely moisturizing and might be nice if you have dry feet. 


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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

January Grove Co Haul

Wednesday, January 24, 2024




Caldrea Blue Basil Sage Room Spray

Shall I introduce you to my new favorite scent! Oh my gosh, I love this and I finally figured out why. When I was growing up, my mom used a Caldrea hand soap called Herbs de Provence. It smelled incredible, and we just thought they discontinued it. Well, they didn't - it was just renamed Blue Basil Sage! It's such a great clean, sweet smell. But, more than that it triggers a memory.

This is my 4th Caldrea room spray, and clearly I have a little collection going. They last forever and I have loved every scent I've tried. 

Caldrea Blue Basil Sage Hand Soap

Maybe you get the point that I'm now obsessed with this scent? I bought this refill to put in our guest and half baths for something special. 

Walnut Sponges

A classic, and a favorite! These sponges get the job done, true, but they are also just really good quality. 

Method Toilet Cleaner

You will see this in just about every order I make from Grove! 

Method Shower Cleaner

Same with this bathroom spray. It has a nice smell, and works really well for weekly cleanings. I like to have two bottles of both this and the toilet cleaner because I don't want to run out. 

Mrs Meyers Blue Bell Concentrate

Totally my secret cleaning weapon. This concentrate lasts forever. I use it in spray bottles for a multi surface cleaner, and I also find it works great on floors with a mop and bucket. 

Grove Laundry Sheets - Free Gift!

I've gotten these once before as a free gift. They are absolutely perfect for travel! 

Ursa Major Face Wipe Sample - Free!

I really love that Grove sends samples. It's always fun to try new things.

Grove offers price matching! This was the first time I tried it. You send them an email with the link to the cheaper item and they will give you a credit in your cart to match the difference. Even though it took a few extra minutes, I saved at least $10 on this order because of it. Their customer service is really good!

If you are new to Grove, I always like to offer you my referral link! That'll get you some free products! If you have any questions as you are looking through their products, you can always ask me - I can almost guarantee I've tried it.  Also, make sure you activate Rakuten for cash back too! 


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-Kristen
This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

October Grove Collaborative Haul

Sunday, October 8, 2023



Super Bloom Vitamin C Serum - free gift!

This was my gift with purchase for the month! I have a pretty minimal skin care routine, but this is a nice addition. I especially appreciate it's skin brightening promises. 

Mrs. Meyers Apple Cider Room Spray

Have I told you guys that I'm cleaning a few houses on the side? We are trying to save up for some traveling and it's been a nice way to put aways some cash. Anyway, one thing that I've been doing in my client's homes is using a room spray at the end. The compliments I get are always how amazing the house smells! Usually I use my Caldrea sprays (these are very pricey, but you just need a few spritzes.). But, I thought with fall coming up, everyone might like a little autumnal scent. 

Earth Rated Pet Bags

No explanation needed, since these are in every single Grove order we do! 

Grove Co Rubber Gloves - free gift! 

These gloves were my free quarterly gift. (I actually think Grove is doing gifts more often than quarterly now, but I can't remember the details) Super nice to have around.

Grove Co Drip Stones

One of the sillier things I've bought, but never regretted, are the super attractive Grove toilet brushes! In the base of the brush, there is a drip catching stone that eliminates that gross water. You are supposed to replace the stones every so often - but I hadn't yet. 

Grove Co Unwind Essential Oil Blend - free gift!

I had not smelled this oil blend before, and it's really nice! I got this oil as my 'birthday' gift this year. They give you a couple of options to choose from. I think it's a nice way to try something new for free.

Grove Co Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender is my oil of choice, and we are constantly diffusing it. I really like the size of this bottle! 

Kitsch Wet Dry Brush

Do you know how long you should have a hair brush? Asking for a friend, because I do not know. All I know is that my hair brush has been through it and I know I've probably had it way too long! With growing out my hair, I wanted to change it up to keep my hair healthy. I choose this wet-dry brush and have been really liking it! I think it works better on my hair dry, but wet is good too. I have noticed a lot less breakage and fall out! 

Method Toilet Cleaner

A trusty favorite! 

Mrs. Meyers Bluebell Hand Soap

In our house we have refillable glass soap dispensers, so normally I buy refills for those. But, in my travel bag I like to keep a full size liquid hand soap. Fun fact about me, I cannot stand the little bar soaps they give you in hotels. I bring a hand soap with me on every vacation for this reason. My current bottle ran out on our last trip, so this is my replacement. They last a long time just using them for traveling. 

Mrs. Meyers Bluebell Multi Surface Concentrate 

This might be my best cleaning secret. I use this concentrate to make multi surface cleaner, but I also use it on our floors. You need so little concentrate that this is such an affordable cleaner! Bluebell is the best scent hands down.

Olly Women's Vitamins

These are my secret to finally taking vitamins every day! I love them. I keep these by my sink and it's easy to remember to take them as I'm getting ready for the day. (Blake takes the men's version) However, I had a little hiccup on this order. I normally get these from Walmart, but decided to get them in my Grove order instead - and the heat during shipping caused them to arrive in a melted mess. Note to self to get them locally during the summer! Grove's customer service is awesome though and they credited me the amount for this order and gave me an extra few dollars for the inconvenience. 

Full Circle Micro Brush

I felt like a detailing brush was something I was missing in my cleaning caddy. Full Circle products always impress me. 

If you are new to Grove, I always like to offer you my referral link! That'll get you some free products! If you have any questions as you are looking through their products, you can always ask me - I can almost guarantee I've tried it.  Also, make sure you activate Rakuten for cash back too! 

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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

August Grove Haul

Monday, August 7, 2023


It's been years since I first started my decluttering journey. Getting started is hard, but once you get on a roll it's so incredibly satisfying to declutter! Moving twice in the last few years helped too. But as you know, clutter creeps back in. Every once in awhile it's good to do a quick pass through the house to keep it up. Admittedly, I let a few spaces get really cluttered recently, and I am so ready to fix the problem! 

(This is a really satisfying post if you like this kind of thing! I did the Emily Ley 30 day challenge and got rid of so much!)

Kitchen Desk

We have a small desk/console style table in the kitchen that we use as a bar, and a handy place to store dog treats. Unfortunately, the drawers tend to be a quick place to shove those random items you don't know what to do with. So, I'm taking 5 minutes to straighten this up! 



Bedroom Table

We have another desk style table in our bedroom under the television. It also accumulates so much! Most of the time, it's because we are too lazy to put things in their real homes. This took another 5ish minutes to fix and I felt instantly better. 



Office Closet

Blake and I are loving our new joint home office set up! This bedroom has 2 small closets. One for me, and one for him. My closet stores some Etsy supplies like shipping boxes, and other crafting/hobby items. This spot hasn't been working for awhile, so I am just SO happy to be taking care of it. I purchased a new hanging organizer from Target along with some matching lidded bins. 

I could not be happier with the results! This is a really good before and after. 



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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Declutter with Me

Monday, July 3, 2023

Does anyone else have the spring cleaning itch?! I'll be honest, I get this itch like every other month, and want to totally purge our entire house. I'm prepping my list for this spring and thought I'd share that with you, as well as some must haves in my cleaning caddy.


I've got a 2 page guide for you in my Etsy shop! This is a comprehensive checklist to help you get it all done. Each room has several tasks, and of course you can add on your own since each house is different. I have a super top secret discount code for blog readers in the the Coupons For You page! 


Supplies I'm Using:

Dusting:


Bathrooms:


Floors:


Specialty Cleaners:


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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Spring Cleaning Checklist and Favorite Supplies

Monday, March 13, 2023

Happy mail day! It's the day I got my Grove Collaborative order! If cleaning supplies make you happy, this post is for you.

If you are new to Grove Collaborative, you can get a bunch of free stuff with your first order when you use my link to sign up. AND p.s. Rakuten has a really good cash back perk for Grove! If you don't have a Rakuten account, I also have a referral link for that which gets you $30 right off the bat. I'm always looking for free money! 


Method Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Ah, a tried and true toilet bowl cleaner! I really enjoy the scent of this, and I appreciate the bottle shape. It does a great job on our toilets.

Method AntiBac Spray

While I use the bowl cleaner on the inside of the toilet, I use this spray around the seat and other parts of the toilet. They work great together, and Grove even offers them as as set for a discount.

Method Squirt and Mop

This is a floor cleaner I keep coming back to. I really like the Grove concentrate, but both Blake and I love the scent of the Method Almond squirt and mop! Our downstairs are constantly needing a mop, so I'm happy to use whatever is easiest. 

Grove Co Power Clean Laundry Pods

I think this is a product I will just keep coming back to! It's so easy to throw a laundry pod into the washer. The packing on this is so great, and they work really well. The scent is minimal however. So depending on who you are that might be a pro or a con. Personally I like using this detergent on towels and other linens, but save my delicious smelling Buff City Soap detergent for my clothes. 

Grove Co Hand & Dish Soap - Mulled Apple

I purchased the spiced pumpkin soaps last month and loved them so just I thought I'd try the mulled apple scent this fall too. 

Grove Co Sponges

I actually used to get these every single month when we didn't have a dishwasher! But, now that we do, I just get them occasionally. They are just great sponges and get the job done well! I definitely use them on our Our Place pan and pot. 

Grove Co Tub+Tile Cleaner Concentrate 

Easily one of Grove's best products! All the scents are great, but I'm partial to the lavender thyme smell. You just fill up a spray bottle with water and top it off with one of these concentrates. It works really well on showers and tubs that don't need the deepest cleaning in the world. So, perfect for maintenance cleaning. 

Murphy's Bug Bite Balm

You guys, this is a holy grail product. It's just fantastic to have on hand. I keep this in my purse because I'm often getting bit at work. However, I've had to order several of these because my friends keep needing it, loving it and stealing it! 

EarthRated Pet Waste Bags

Just a staple in our house with 3 pugs! 

Stone Works Laundry Pod Sample

I love that Grove offers free samples! It's a great way to try new products. I haven't tried these yet, but if you love a woodsy scent this might be for you.

Peach Charcoal Soap

This was my free gift with purchase this month. The peach line is really nice and I think this soap would be great for the guy in your life. 



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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

September Grove Collaborative Haul

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Well it's been a hot minute since I've done a Grove haul! Although I still get orders most months, this one made me particularly happy, so I thought I'd share what we received. 

If you are new to Grove Collaborative, you can get a bunch of free stuff with your first order when you use my link to sign up. AND p.s. Rakuten has a really good cash back perk for Grove! If you don't have a Rakuten account, I also have a referral link for that which gets you $30 right off the bat. I'm always looking for free money! 



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Amber Soap Hand and Dish Soap Dispensers & Spiced Pumpkin Scented Hand and Dish Soap
I know it's still August, but I had a craving for some fall scents. The spiced pumpkin scent is so yummy and I was really excited to see you could get it as a set with amber soap dispensers. It was time to replace our kitchen soap dispensers, so perfect timing! 

These bags are in our order every month! With 3 pugs, we go through a lot of them. 

My free gift this month! Grove's bar soaps are great, and I have a whole stash of them. I obviously plan to use them up, but they are also nice to have on hand for gifts. This is my first time with the peppermint scent, and it's really nice! 

This scent!! I love it so much. As a Floridian, I need a stronger deodorant most of the year. But this more natural one is just fine as we go into fall and winter. This is my first time trying out the new more eco friendly packaging. 

I have tried a few different leather cleaners for our sofa, and this is by far my favorite. In fact it had been out of stock on Grove for a few weeks and I was getting desperate! I love how our furniture looks after we clean it with this, and with 3 pugs we are using it all the time. 

This was our first time ordering this cleaner. Did I mention we had to get a new washer a few weeks ago? Ugh, this is like our 3rd washer in as many years but I hopeful we will have this one forever! It's a front loader, and we all know how smelly they can get. Really enjoyed the scent of this and I think it's made a difference! 

A long time favorite! I used to buy this at Walmart, but I was so excited to see it now available with Grove. The scent is so good! This is a soap I like to keep in our guest bath, because it's a great body wash for adults, but I also love that it's a bubble bath as well. Perfect for when our niece or nephews sleep over. 

I don't really like to use bleach around my house, but still wanted to try to brighten my whites in the wash. So we are giving these a shot this month! 

I've gotten these laundry pods as a free sample, but this is my first time ordering the full size. The packaging is awesome, and I love the tin they come in! My very favorite laundry detergent comes from Buff City Soaps, but I wait until it's BOGO before I do my refill. So in the mean time this will do nicely. 

These are such a favorite! I've been using them basically nightly to remove makeup and clean my face when I don't feel like doing a full skincare routine. I love to keep a pack of these in my travel gear as well. 

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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

August Grove Collaborative Haul

Thursday, August 18, 2022

We've been in a strange limbo since going under contract on our house. Our engines are reving, but there are still some hoops to jump through to make sure the sale actually happens. It's made me very hesitant to pack because it's not over until the fat lady sings, ya know? Plus, our house looks it's best with our cute stuff in it, and I want it to look it's best for the appraiser, home inspector and potentially if we have to put it back on the market if something falls through. 

One thing I've decided to focus on is preparing to pack. I don't mean just collecting boxes! If you've been following along here for some time, you know that I have been working on decluttering our house for years now! We went through a big declutter, and then more 'maintenance' declutterings since. Honestly, I didn't think I'd find much else!

Moving definitely helps you reassess! I noticed there are quite a few places in the home that tend to collect clutter and require multiple visits. I thought I'd share those today, and maybe inspire you to check your own junk drawer for things to part with.



One | Medicines

How do you store your medications? We store our collection in a skinny rubbermaid under the guest room sink. Because we rarely get sick, I wasn't even sure what was in there. Plenty! Take a look in your medicine stash, because you are likely to find things have expired or are unnecessary. 

Personally, I found several medications that were expired and I was able to organize our bin better. Who knew we had what seems like dozen different sizes of band-aids. 

(Pharmacies can help you dispose of prescriptions responsibly!) 


Two | Make Up

Did you know makeup has a shelf life? You'll find out what it is on the packaging or label. I guarantee you've had that blush for longer than 18 months.  I found a couple of items that were getting old, and several I decided I no longer used or wanted. 

There might be something in your collection that is almost new, but maybe for some reason you don't reach for it. Consider giving it to a friend or family member! No need for it to go to waste in your cabinet or bag. 


Three | Nail Polish 

Typically, I save professional manicures and pedicures for special occasions. So, I do my own nails! That means I've collected a pretty sizeable amount of nail polishes. This was actually an area I had already decluttered in the past, but I found several polishes that were well past their prime. I still liked the colors, but you can definitely tell the difference between a new nail polish and a thick, goopy old one. 




Four | Your Spice Cabinet 

If I'm being honest, I really thought I was good at keeping our spice cabinet minimal. We really don't buy those one off spices that a random recipe calls for. I either try to substitute it or go without if it's something unusual. While going through our kitchen, I decided to quickly cull our spices as well and ended up finding 8! spices that were out of date. 8 might not seem like a lot, but it is when I probably only had 15 spices on the shelf total! 



Five | Kitchen Items You Think You 'Should' Have

If you go back a couple of years here on the blog, you might remember our when I shared details about our kitchen transformation. While it doesn't look quite the same today, you can clearly see we have a small kitchen. The size has forced us to keep it simple when it comes to the gadgets and other things we keep. Unless we use it on a weekly basis, it's really taking up valuable real estate. 

Again, this was an area I thought I really had under control. The prospect of moving however, let me look at the kitchen with new eyes. I can't believe all the things I decided to part with after deciding to keep them before. 

A couple of things I put in the yard sale pile:
- A pie dish (I've never made a pie in my life.)
- Some attachments for our food processor (never used and never will.)
- Old dish towels 
- Bakeware (I went from a large variety of 12 baking pans to 6!)
- Food storage without matching lids
- Duplicate wine glasses (We received a great set of wine glasses as a wedding gift, but there were several sizes and we only ever used some of them. After 10 years, we know what we like and use!) 
- Canisters I always hated. (Ok, so I replaced these with something else, but why hold on to something you hate?!)
- Some cups (How do we end up with so many cups!?) 
- Ramekins (I bought these literally 10 years ago to make lava cake, and used them once.)


I know I have a long way to go, but getting started felt so nice! I can't say I'm looking forward to packing, but I am looking forward to our move! Mostly, I'm ready for it to be over. Maybe this post provided a little inspiration, and you can find something tucked away that you can say goodbye to. Sound off in the comments below and give me your suggestions! Let me know where you tend to collect clutter, or maybe some place that you think I should take a look at in our house. 

Other posts on this topic you might like: 

9 Ways to Simplify Your Life or My Favorite Decluttering Principles


-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

5 Things To Declutter Right Now

Monday, October 12, 2020


Love these bags! They last a long time, but it was time to add a few more to our collection. We use them for storing leftover foods mostly, but we have used them for traveling also. They wash well! 

I use washable cotton pads for my day to day skincare routine, but I don't want to use the washable pads for removing nail polish. So, I buy a bag of cotton rounds for that every once in a while. These will last forever. Organic cotton too, which is nice. 

June Grove Order

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Believe it or not, I woke up to a clean kitchen. You can't tell that from the following photos, however, because I made a giant mess with a marathon of cooking and meal prepping! This morning I made air fryer bagels, cut up a watermelon, tried a new recipe for energy bites, and made a fresh batch of my laundry detergent. Needless to say, my kitchen was a wreck!

Looking on the bright side, it made for some pretty incredible before and after photos. Let's get to work!

Kitchen Cleaning Routine

Clean With Me | Kitchen Edition

Monday, May 25, 2020

You wouldn't believe how excited I was to write this post! It seems like while everyone has been stuck at home more, cleaning and cooking trends have gone viral. One of those viral cleaning hacks I've seen over and over again in the past few weeks is laundry stripping. I had never heard of laundry stripping before, but the before and after photos pulled me in right away!

How To: Laundry Stripping

I Tried Laundry Stripping & Here Is What Happened

Monday, May 11, 2020

Clean With Me | Master Bathroom | www.kristenwoolsey.com

Is there anything more satisfying than a clean house? Yes. Watching other people clean their houses and you didn't have to do any of the work. 😂 I hoping to supply a little before and after satisfaction for you today!

Clean With Me | Bathroom Edition

Monday, May 4, 2020


Hello!

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