We are tired. Very, very tired. Here’s why: As I write this, we are desperately trying to entertain two very energetic puppies. Yes, two. (We are clearly insane.) Just a second ago, I had one in my arms while Adam entertained the second one. Hold on, wiggly puppy in my lap… OK, I’m back. So. If you were wondering what we’ve been up to, that’s it in a nutshell. My house is a hot mess. I’m struggling with crate training. (Please note that the puppies are NOT struggling with crate training. I am. I just hate puppies cries when I put them in the crate…) My OCD and anxiety have been on edge mainly because I’m not getting enough sleep and I rolled over in bed a couple of days ago and managed to pinch a nerve in my neck which is causing some exquisite pain. (Leave it to me to…
Sink Freshening Tabs in a Snap with LorAnn Oils
Disclaimer: I was provided free product and/or monetary compensation for this post. As part of Online Blog Con, LorAnn Oils was kind enough to send me some of their essential oils, free for my use. All opinions are 100% honest and 100% mine. Ladies, let’s talk kitchen sinks. Specifically your sink’s, shall we say…bouquet? Probably not a bed of roses huh? I’m not sure about you, but if your house is like mine, after using the disposal and washing dishes it can acquire a “scent”. Unfortunately, one that ends up filling the entire kitchen. I’ve tried just about everything. Vinegar and baking soda works ok, but doesn’t have a nice smell and the benefits wear off pretty quickly. Commercial products work for sure, but not for long and smell “fake” to me. And they can be really expensive. It’s like throwing money down the drain…literally! If you follow me on Instagram,…
Target One Spot Haul!
Y’all! Go to Target right now. No wait! Read this first and then check out the pics below. I swear I never get lucky and get to Target just as they’ve finished stocking the One Spot (I can’t get used to calling it that, I still think of it as Dollar Spot, but whatever), but last week BOY did I get lucky! They had some super cute Halloween and basic crafting supplies and I. Could. Not. Help. Myself. It’s so easy to over spend in Tar-jaaaaaaaaay, but man, I seriously couldn’t resist. Take a look! OK now you can run to Target. And I mean it, RUN! This stuff doesn’t stick around long. 😉 Happy Monday friends.
What the Blog Will Look Like Moving Forward
So, last month, I wrote a post declaring that “I Quit” trying to keep up with the blogging world and just start doing whatever the heck I pleased around here. I’m just tired of worrying about numbers, and photographic perfection and keeping up with the Jones’. But what does that mean for the blog, exactly? Here’s what I’m hoping to do more of: Writing (what a novel idea!) – No really, I get so nervous about what I write here. Perfectionism and anxiety battle it out all the time on this one. I want to focus more on what I’m writing about and not worry about how it compares to other bloggers Simple ideas – Sometimes I have quick ideas that I want to share, but think they won’t be “enough”. No more! I’m going to share those ideas! Share the spotlight with small businesses and causes I love Expand my focus…
Easily Organize Your Cookbooks
Hey y’all! This week I’ve been doing some quick organizing projects around here. (I should be catching up on laundry, but…well this is more fun. 😉 ) First up was to pull all of my cookbooks down from the home office bookshelves and put them on our now empty shelving on the kitchen island. Luckily when we redid our pantry with the Elfa system, I no longer needed to store bowls and serving platters on the island. It gave me some room to finally get my massive cookbook collection in the kitchen. You know, where it makes sense to store them. I didn’t just want to plop them on the shelves and call it a day though. I wanted to sort them into categories so I could find what I was looking for more easily – and make it easier on Adam to find what he needs as well. Check…
Thoughts on Robin Williams
Yesterday, the world lost a comedic legend. But for those of us who have struggled with depression and other forms of mental illness, we lost a fellow soldier in a war that never seems to have an end. It’s different for us, you see. Every single day that one of us continues breathing we get to say “screw you” to the thing that’s trying so, so hard to kill us. So when someone loses that battle we feel it deeply. As deeply as we feel or felt our own nothingness. Because that’s what depression is – it’s nothing. It’s feeling nothing, enjoying nothing, wanting nothing. It’s just a hole. A big, deep, dark hole filled with demons who would love to make you believe that you don’t matter. By all accounts – even his own – Robin Williams had a lot of demons. Drugs, alcohol and depression among the biggest. While…
I quit.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin This is a pretty big post for me. And not one that’s easy to write, because I honestly fear some backlash from the blogging community once I hit publish. But I just can’t sit by anymore and accept things as they come. I quit. No, I’m not quitting blogging. Not by a long shot, but I have to quit the blogging “thing”. If you’re not a blogger, indulge me for a moment while I explain what I mean. Bloggers are very focused on “numbers”. Everything is a number. Pageviews. Unique visitors. Followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, blah blah blah. Why are they so important? Basically, if you ain’t got ’em. YOU DON’T MATTER. Harsh reality to say the least. Without precious “numbers” you don’t get sponsors, you don’t get ads, you don’t get attention. Nothing. And that means you don’t get paid. No numbers? No money. I…
My Simple Sinful Colors Manicure
I received this product complimentary from Influenster and Sinful Colors for testing purposes and my review as part of the #SurfsUpVoxBox. All opinions are 100% honest, and 100% mine. Hey guys! Today, let’s talk about something a little different. Nail polish! I’m not sure if I’ve ever really shared just how obsessed with make up and nail polish that I am. I have quite the stash. So when Influenster offered me the #SurfsUpVoxBox (including a free, full sized bottle of one of my favorite nail polish brands!) I knew I couldn’t pass it up. Why would anyone pass up a chance at free beauty products? So let’s talk nail polish. I could (and would love) to spend a lot of time on my nails, but I just don’t have the time most days. I like playing around with nail art, but 99% of the time, I’m a one color and done…
Gift Wrap Storage Ideas
When Adam and I were at The Container Store picking up our Elfa pantry system I noticed a nifty little gadget to corral the loose edges of rolls of wrapping paper. Spoiler alert! They were basically slap bracelets from 1990, only $5.99 for three. Basically you just snapped them around the roll and voila, wrap contained. Definitely cool, but not worth that price to me. So, as I’ve been cleaning and organizing my craft room I’ve been thinking about how I could keep our stash of gift wrap from unraveling without having to buy slap bracelets. Though, you can actually still buy them on the cheap. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I came across a stash of elastic I got in a Pick Your Plum grab box a few years ago and I knew exactly what to do! I had a ton of this elastic and I could only make so…
Simplified Goals for July (And a June update!)
Hey y’all! It’s a new month and that means it’s time for some new simplified goals for the month! Before we do that, though, let’s take a moment and look back at what our goal was for last month – catch up on all those unfinished projects. Here’s how we did: Basement: – paint windows and retrim – paint doors and trim – finish up built ins (caulking, paint, organization, fabric panels – sadly this isn’t 100% done even after a YEAR…) – curtains (all rooms – some are make, some are hem) – IN PROGRESS Living/Dining Room: – paint – put together new furniture (sofa table and new dining storage) – move old shelving to new homes – have new lighting installed DONE – buy and install new door to powder room – move thermostat Kitchen: – Pantry – demo, patch, paint and install DONE (You can see the blog post here) – Command wall –…