Friday Five | 6-27-25

Just a sweet picture of Bailey for you^

1. Disney Princess Half Marathon

I have two Disney things to talk about today! My sister and I were successfully able to sign up for the Princess Half for next year. The sign up process was competitive!! Thankfully my sister shouldered the stress and got us in. We have run 2 half marathons together, and decided to do this because what a cool experience to run through the parks. The race takes place on our anniversary weekend, so it looks like we will be celebrating in Orlando. Training will start in October, and I can't believe I willing chose to do this again. 😂

2. Disney Cruise Plans

Blake and I are taking a Disney cruise with some of my cousins and their kiddos this fall! We are so excited. This is a bucket list trip for all of us. This week we were able to start booking activities and excursions. We aren't going to take any excursions, because the only destinations of this cruise are their private islands. I did book some spa appointments and picked up some MagicBands for us to use. They are so cute. Blake went with a Star Wars design, surprise surprise. I thought the Mickey Cherry design was so fun. 

3. Nephew Pool Day

As you know, I've had kind of a rough month health wise, but I was finally feeling a bit more like normal this week. I kept my nephews for the day while my sister worked, and we had a great low-key summer day together. We spent several hours at the neighborhood pool, they rode their scooters, and we watched a movie. They also ate just about everything I had in the house. 

Curtains | Blanket | Ottoman

4. Challenging Yourself

This isn't a big thing, but it felt sort of significant. My friend asked me to do a little Cricut project for an idea they had. I immediately doubted myself and my ability to pull it off. Within a few seconds of getting her text, I went on Etsy to see if someone else offered what they wanted to do. I had talked myself out of even trying. Then, I gave it a go, and was pleasantly surprised that I could do it and actually feel confident in the final product. All that to say, it feels really good to challenge yourself and actually try something when you're in doubt.

5. Highs and Lows

I'm sick of being sick! Today marks 20 days of dealing with whatever weird virus/side effects I've had. This week I felt a whole lot better, and then suddenly some of my symptoms were back and worse in some ways. My Oura ring was showing that I was sleeping very well, but overall I'm definitely not operating at my normal. But, against all my efforts! I've been trying all the things to get well. 

I ended up back at the doctor yesterday, and I guess this is the High of the week, everything points to the fact that I am indeed getting better. They even took some blood just to make sure we weren't missing anything. Unfortunately, allergies are also a factor here because it's been raining SO much and everything here is green and lovely. My Doctor recommending switching up some medication and just hanging in there.  I think it's just been discouraging more than anything. 

Happy Friday!

-Kristen

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Friday Five | 6-27-25

Friday, June 27, 2025

Life Lately #15

After an insane December, I'm so happy to have a fresh start here in January. We will still have a busy month, but maybe we can have some routine in there too. To kick off my first post of 2025, I wanted to share a few snapshots to share life lately!

Pug Update

Winston and Bailey are doing well! In 2025, Bailey will turn 15! We think anyway. She became part of our family in 2016, and we can only guess her age. Aside from her eyesight dimming pretty significantly, she is still so spunky. We will have their yearly vet check up next week, and we are sure we will hear she's got a long time left. 

In December I decided to start making homemade dog food, so that's been quite the experiment. It seems to be going well, so I'll have to update you all with my official recipe once it sticks. I'm still playing with ingredients. It's fairly inexpensive to do, and they absolutely love it. 

Fun Times With Friends

Not only did we have non-stop company in December, but we also managed to have some fun nights out with friends! I'm just so thankful to have found people that are in the same life chapter as we are. It's awesome to have a variety of friends, and I do. In fact one of my closest friends is 90 years old! We hang out with my parents all the time, and we have lots of friends that have kiddos. But, there is something to be said about having friends who are your age and stage of life. People who like the same things you like, have similar budgets, similar schedules. It's just nice is all and I'm grateful! 

Time With Family

Ditto for having lots of great times with family this past month too! We had some family friends come and stay and it's really cool to pick right back up where you left off with people - even though it has been years in some cases. (How sweet is that picture of my sister and my nephews?!)

New Toys

My Grandma sweetly sent me two things that have been on my Amazon Wishlist for ages. First, a gel nail kit with a light. This is such a great starter set, and I'm having fun learning how to use it. I had my niece for a few nights and we had fun doing manicures! Grandma also bought me the Cricut Easy Press, which I am so excited about! It's SO nice, and such an upgrade from using an iron. Gia got a Stitch shirt for their upcoming Disney trip while she was here. I'm really excited to keep using this. 

Peanut Butter Bars

I made these Peanut Butter Bars from the Defined Dish cookbook and WOW! They were fantastic, and I can't wait for an excuse to make them again.

-Kristen

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Life Lately #15

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

My New Cricut!

For our anniversary this year, I asked Blake to upgrade my Cricut. I've had my Cricut Explore for a few years now, and boy has it paid for itself. It's the backbone of my Etsy store. With all the abuse I have put it through, I thought it might be time to go for their more top of line machine. (Especially, because I broke the door of my Explore and didn't know how to fix it...) 

I knew I wanted the Maker 3, but I told Blake I didn't want him to spend a bunch of money on it. We found out Cricut does refurbished machines, and that's what I asked for. It was a way to save a few hundred dollars actually. The con of this is you don't get to choose your color. But, they sent me the most gorgeous powder blue color and I couldn't love it more. 

GOSH, what an upgrade. This machine does a few things differently than my explore, so it took a minute to get used to the rhythm of loading and unloading. However, it's quieter and faster which is great. Additionally, it cuts far more materials than the Explore. Truly, the quality of the machine itself is just plain really nice! 

I purchased an engraving blade which is just so cool, and I can't wait to experiment with it. And because I feel more inspired to create now that I have new tools, I also purchased some card making supplies. (My previous machine would have done cards as well, but I never really played with it.) Cricut now has a card making mat which is awesome! I've also enjoyed their name brand card sets. Cricut vinyl is not my favorite by any means, but their paper products are A+. 

Having one of these machines has just made me feel so much more creative as I get older. I was totally that kid with a thousand paper shreds all over my bedroom floor growing up. Hobbies are just so important, even as we get older, so this has really scratched that itch for me the past few years. It's hard because it took some time to learn how to use, and I normally don't like doing things I'm not immediately good at. But, I'm so glad I've stuck with it because it's just been plain fun. I hope this means you'll see some more Cricut creations posts from me in the near future. 

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-Kristen

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My New Cricut!

Friday, March 1, 2024

Amazon Wishlist

One thing that Blake and I have always done is keep up with our respective Amazon wish lists. These lists serve two main functions for us. One, it helps us know exactly what each other would like to receive as gifts. Admittedly, we both have pretty specific tastes, so this eliminates all doubt. We know exactly what each other wants. And, secondly, these wish lists are so great at helping you bookmark things for later. I often add things to the list just to keep an eye on the price, or to see if I really truly want that item. 

Want a little insight into what I'm shopping for? Well, here's a peak at my list! 

P.S. I actually keep an entirely separate list for books! If the price drops or there is a special deal on a book, Amazon notifies me. (This is actually one of the tips I share in my How I Save Money on Books post!) 

I'm Shopping For:

Welcome Sign

I had a wreath on our side door (the door we use), and ending up moving it and now I feel like I need something for that door! I thought this sign was cute and would work well. 

Cricut Maker 

I have an Explore, and love it to pieces. It's paid for itself 10 times over with my Etsy shop. But, I would like to upgrade one day, and this is what I have my eye on.

Cricut Easy Press

Again, this is something that I would like to get in the future. I've been making it just fine just using my home iron. But, this would be a little luxury and I know I'd enjoy using it. 

Thermal Printer

Another wish list item for my Etsy set up. I use my regular printer for shipping labels, but I would love to get a thermal printer for labels and stickers. 

Rocking Chair and Table

Our front porch is lacking some kind of chair, and I keep coming back to this. Simple, but classic. And I think I could throw a seasonal cushion on it for fun. 

Glass Dome Diffuser

What's really on my wishlist is the Young Living Aria diffuser, but it's so expensive. I thought this really fit the look - but a much lower price. Pretty solid reviews too. 

Dog Car Seat

Is this completely ridiculous? Probably. But, I can't help it, I want it! The problem is I have 3 dogs, and it would be pretty ridiculous to spend this much on 3 dog car seats. Especially because it would just be for rides to vet every so often. 

Set of Skinny Belts

I really like these! I love that it comes in 2 colors. Seems like these could jazz up so many different outfits - especially dresses. 

Hardcopy of The Body

I LOVED this book. It was so interesting. I listened to the audio, and thought many times how I wished I had the hard copy so I could highlight it up and down. 

Rose Gold Watering Can

Like most people during the Pandemic, I acquired quite a few house plants. Most of them are doing great! But, I feel kind of funny using a disposable plastic cup over and over to water them. This mini can would be so convenient and a lot cuter. 

Ninja Smoothie Blender

It's becoming abundantly clear that our blender is about to give up. I really like this option, since we mainly use our blender for smoothies or protein shakes. 

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-Kristen

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Amazon Wishlist

Monday, April 3, 2023

Diary #11.2021

Diary posts are just a fancy way for me to dump my camera roll into a blog post! 

Buff City Soap

A new location of Buff City Soap opened up here, and I won one of their grand opening giveaways! I really encourage everyone to enter giveaways...I counted up how many I've won in recent history and it's at least 10. What do you have to lose, ya know?

Diary #11.2021

Friday, December 17, 2021

Weekly Diary #8.2021

Happy Monday everyone! Gosh, it's been a *week*. I'll be honest, I'm not on my game and feeling super off. My anxiety has been really bad, so I'm hoping to reset this week. A few good things though:

We got an exercise bike!

Like the rest of the world, while under lockdown, home work outs became really crucial. We really wanted to get an exercise bike, but we were divided on what to get. Plus, we knew we'd be moving and didn't want to get a giant bike we'd have trouble relocating. 

Weekly Diary #8.2021

Monday, June 7, 2021

Weekly Diary #7.2021

It's basically summer! As much as I love fall and winter fashion, give me all the sunshine! I feel like I come alive when the time changes and I get Vitamin D straight from the sky. We haven't been to the beach yet, but we have been able to go out boating and I've really been enjoying reading outside with the pugs. They love it too! 

Weekly Diary #7.2021

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Pictures from the last month!

We are going to call this a camera roll diary! If you were scrolling through my phone pictures, this is what you'd find. (Minus a million Etsy shots...)

Monogrammed Masks

My sweet mom in law made Blake and I some reusable masks, and I'm so grateful! We kept mixing them up, so I threw a little monogram on each one. So very 2020!

Pictures from the last month!

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

How it's going with my Etsy shop!

I started my Etsy shop in 2018 selling planning printables. There were a modest amount of listings, but it was nice to make passive income selling digital downloads. When I got my Cricut machine last year, I mainly used it for myself (and still do!), but I dabbled in listing a few designs in the shop. Mostly though, I was too nervous to put any effort into it! It was a very casual approach. I'd make a few bucks here and there, which was nice.

When 2020 was approaching, I decided I wanted it to be my year for Etsy! I spent extra time creating designs, listing new items and even doing a little advertising. January and February had a dramatic increase in sales. Very encouraging to see that a little effort paid off. 

How it's going with my Etsy shop!

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Cricut Creations No. 3

With all of the extra time on my hands, you'd think I would be Cricut-ing up a storm! Honestly, I haven't had much drive to create so far. But, I have made a few things over the last few weeks I thought I'd share! 

First up, shirts for my niece and nephews! I had quite a surplus of glitter vinyl, so Gia totally hit the jackpot with some cute stuff. I want her baby yoda pjs so badly! 

Cricut Creations No. 3

Monday, April 13, 2020