Friday Five | 5-30-25

1. High of the Week

Having Monday free of all obligation was SO nice! Blake, my parents, and I did a quick 'hike' on a Greenway near our house first thing in the morning. It was warm, but not too hot yet. I think we walked for a total of an hour. Then, we changed and headed to our neighborhood pool. I kept thinking that I should be doing something! It was a true day off. 

2. Low of the Week

I was at a clients house, and got all set to leave - and my car wouldn't start. UGH. Such a pain. It's really probably time to upgrade my CRV, but I love it so much I don't want to. Car shopping sounds terrible. Anyway, fortunately this wasn't a big deal - just needed a new battery, not an alternator like I thought. Of course my battery was 3 months past warranty, so this wasn't a cheap experience.  

3. Freshening Up The House

I don't know what got into me on Tuesday, but I came home and started moving things around. Do you ever get the itch to redecorate or rearrange furniture? There aren't too many configurations we can do with the furniture in our house, but I managed to fix some things. For example, although we have a home office, I find myself working downstairs the majority of the time. So I've set up a desk in my bedroom and was able to move a few things around in there to give us a lot more space. That sparked searching for new bedding. Ours has gotten strangely rough feeling. Then because I moved a piece of furniture upstairs, I switched things up in the guest room again. And then, the gallery wall on the stairs came down. (I've been wanting to do that for a while. Love all the pictures, but I felt like it was just too much visually.) And then! I finally ordered new curtains for the living room. This has been bothering me since we moved in. The ones I had were too short. This is my favorite upgrade so far! These curtains are SO affordable and SO nice. 

Two more things I'm on the look out for are a new ottoman for the living room, and a new bed frame for our bedroom. I'd seriously buy the same one again, I love it - but something happened (maybe in our move a few years ago?) with the support on the bottom and it's not fixable. 

4. Mission Impossible

Blake and I went to see the new Mission Impossible movie on Sunday. We absolutely love going to the movies. Especially on a rainy Sunday! This movie was just outrageous 😂. If I were to review it, I'd sum it up by saying Tom Cruise had to show off all his tricks one more time. The drama! Some of it was very exciting, but I found it weird that they used so many flashbacks? It was like they didn't expect you to know what was going on the whole time. But, that actually made it really really long. Overall it was fun to go to the movies but I don't think I'll ever watch it again. 

5. Color Palette 

Above, you'll see a picture of an outfit I wore this week, that I got several compliments on because of the colors. I think because I have more of a tan right now, and the yellow just pops. Anyway, that sparked my interest in the color season thing you've probably seen on the internet. Basically, everyone has a color palette that looks best on them based off their skin, hair, etc. 

I don't want to pay for a consultation right now, so I asked ChatGPT to help! It suggested that I am a Soft Autumn which I think I agree with. So now, I'm doing research on that color palette to see what I can wear more of. I also want to play with the makeup colors it suggests work best with my features. This is kind of fun! 

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-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-30-25

Friday, May 30, 2025

What I Wore

Reef Sandals

I wear these Reef platform sandals ALL the time! Love them so much in brown, I also bought the off-white. These are the most comfortable shoes - I could wear them all day, every day. 

Old Navy Dress

This is such a great dress for spring and summer. Worn with those favorite sandals above! I've worn this to a causal family dinner, and then also to a fancier dinner out. Pairs great with a denim jacket!

Draper James Dress

I purchased this dress when we visited Charleston earlier this year. We were walking and shopping, and were so excited to see a Draper James store. Turned out it was their grand opening weekend. We had such a great experience shopping there, with lots of attention from the sales associates. I tried this on, and when it fit like a glove, I ignored the price tag. I paired it with some cute little espadrilles from Amazon. 

Amazon Dress

I gravitate toward light, flowy dresses in the summer - so I grabbed this one to freshen up the rotation. Very very comfy, but not exactly breathable. I should have known seeing that it's a poly blend. Again, paired with the Reef sandals. 

J Crew Dress

This may be my favorite purchase all year - I love it! From the fit to the floral pattern...it's just so great. I actually went back and bought Blake the matching tie! Paired with my gold Tieks here.

Amazon Top and J Crew Shorts

And for something a little more casual - you'll find me in this all summer! This Amazon top is so affordable and I love how you can dress it up or down. Paired with my beloved Adidas and favorite necklace set. 

J Crew Vest and Shorts

The cutest set ever! I'd say that the vest is true to size, but the shorts run big. I actually went back and bought some linen pants to coordinate with the vest as well so I can wear it more often.

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-Kristen

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What I Wore

Monday, May 26, 2025

Friday Five | 5-23-35

1. Oura Ring

I've been wearing my Oura ring for about 2 weeks now, and I am obsessed! It's fascinating to see all of the data it's able to collect. I'd like to wear it for a few more weeks before doing a full in-depth review - but in short, I am so glad I got it. 

2. Booking Flights

SO happy to finally have booked our flights for Scotland this week! We will be going in October this year. Scotland was on the itinerary when we did our UK trip in 2022, but we decided to eliminate it when we realized how much we were trying to squeeze into a short trip. Now we finally get to go! Blake and I draft some money each week into a savings account just for travel. It's so satisfying to use that money, because it really feels like we are accomplishing what we set out to do. 

3. Conner's Steakhouse

Blake and I went out with my parents and some family friends for sort of a celebratory dinner at the new Conner's Steakhouse that recently opened up here. It's a chain apparently. We were very impressed and it was such a nice night out! They went above and beyond to accommodate my dad's celiac dietary needs. 

4. Curry Chicken Meatballs Recipe

We tried out a new recipe this week - and it was outstanding! The flavors were awesome and it didn't take that long to put together. Important for a weeknight meal! In fact, Blake randomly brought up how good this was two days later. 

5. Proud Auntie!

This week I was able to attend one of the kid's awards ceremonies. (So many events the last week of school!!) Super proud of Carter, my almost 11 year old nephew. We went to his awards ceremony and then took him out for a special lunch. 

Happy Friday!

-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-23-35

Friday, May 23, 2025

Workout Diary #3

Monday

Apple Fitness + | 20 Minute Upper Body Strength & 10 Minute Core
Outfit: Walmart Shorts | Old Navy Top | Brooks Sneakers

It's feeling like a Monday! I slept in a little longer than intended, but still got my work out in. Blake was not able to get a work out in before having to head out to the office, so we agreed to walk later this evening. I'm going to need that too, since I'll be on my computer most of the day. 

Walk | 25 Minutes 1.33 Miles

We did end up walking after work, and I am so glad we did! It had rained earlier in the day so not only was it a lot cooler, but everything was green. Walks are a great way for us to catch up with each other and decompress at the same time. 

Tuesday

Apple Fitness + | 30 Minute Lower Body, 5 Minute Core, 5 Minute Cool Down
Outfit: Fabletics Shorts | Target Tank (similar) | Brooks Sneakers

Even though I got a pretty good sleep score last night, I wasn't jumping up out of bed this morning. It still felt rushed! After realizing we had nothing planned for dinner, and a last minute grocery pick up situation - I got my workout in. This was an awesome lower body work out and I felt that it was just the right amount of challenging. 

Walk | 26 Minutes 1.34 Miles

Blake and I walked again after work, taking the same route as yesterday - just in reverse. I love walking together. In my perfect world we'd walk every day. 

Wednesday

Apple Fitness + Ready To Run Series | 30 Minutes, 2 Miles

Outfit: Fabletics Leggings | Brooks Top | Brooks Sneakers | Airpod Hooks

I woke up feeling so sore after my lower body workout yesterday, so I was not sure how this run was going to go. To changes things up, I decided to try one of the Apple Fitness + Ready to Run programs. Each run is 'set' in a different location. I chose Zion National Park since we visited there last fall. The coach guides you a little bit and the program pings pictures to your watch along the way. It's nice that the playlist is already curated and you basically just press play and go. I felt like I pushed myself, but I still had to walk several times. 

My only wish is that I had gotten started earlier! The sun was ON. It's going to be a gorgeous day, but it's hot already. 

Thursday 

Apple Fitness + | 20 Minute Total Body, 10 Minute Upper Body, 10 Minute Core

Outfit: Old Navy Shorts and Tank | Brooks Sneakers 

Oof, I was not feeling it today. Didn't sleep great, but still wanted to get it done. Blake chose the 20 minute total body class, so we did that together and then I added 2 more 10 minute classes. 

Friday

Apple Fitness + | 30 Minute Kickboxing, 10 Minute Total Body

Outfit: Walmart Shorts (similar) | Old Navy Bra Top | Brooks Sneakers 

Unfortunately, I got a little sunburned on my upper back this week - so my original plan of a core work out was not going to work today. I could not be laying on my back for a long period of time! Instead, I went for kickboxing and a short total body weight workout. SHOULD have reversed the order I did it in, because I was spent! Great calorie burn, and a good sweat to kick off the weekend. 

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-Kristen

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Workout Diary #3

Monday, May 19, 2025

Friday Five | 5-16-25

1. Revive Haul

It's been a little while since I got an order from Revive. I try to use up what I have in my stash before getting anything new. Long story short, I want to get back to more fragrance free products in the home again. The Immunity Boost (Revive's version of Thieves) laundry detergent and fabric softener really sparked my curiosity! The packaging is low plastic too, so that's nice. 

New to me is the Coconut Vanilla oil blend (5 stars! It smells incredible, just like a vacation or your favorite suntan lotion), and the 5 Star Hotel blend. Excited to try all of it! 

Cinnamon Roll, Grapefruit, Sweet Orange, and Citrus Delight are all time favorites.

2. Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups

If you know, you know. These are maybe my favorite thing on the planet. They are 1000 times better than Reeces cups, which are my favorite candy. We purposely do not buy them because we will devour the whole container in record time. Last week we put together a gift for some friends that included a trip to TJ's and of course these ended up in our cart.

3. Surprise Anniversary Dinner

We were invited to surprise our friends with a fun anniversary dinner, and you know I love an anniversary! We had a great time! I wore the cutest little linen set from J. Crew (vest and shorts) and just warning you I'll be wearing it all summer. 

4. Salad Kits

Probably late to the party on this, but I recently started grabbing a few salad kits to keep in the fridge and it's been such an awesome lunch idea! We usually eat the same things for breakfast each day, and dinner is planned out - but, I always struggle with lunch. These have been really tasty and easy to put together. 

5. Happy to be Blogging

I've always been pretty flexible with myself with getting posts up. Sometimes, I can't believe I was posting just about every day a few years ago. I truly only want to post when I feel like I have something good to share. Just happy to feel a little creative and put effort into my space on the internet. 

That being said, I hope you enjoyed my posts this week: Recent Reads and Four Bowls for Dinner

Happy Friday! 

-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-16-25

Friday, May 16, 2025

Four Bowls For Dinner This Week

BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Bowls 

Recipe Here

This is a new recipe for us, but I am so happy to include it in our regular rotation after making it. It's very simple to put together, and it's absolutely delicious. This bowl is made up of sweet potatoes, air fried chicken, slaw, pickles, avocado and pepitas. Unfortunately, the avocado we had was hard as rock, and our grocery store was out of pepitas. Next time I will make sure to add those things because I think it'd be a nice touch. I also do not care for mayo based slaw, so I switched that up for our dinner. It's just a cabbage slaw mix, white wine vinegar, and a little lemon juice. 

Highly recommend the Kinder's chicken rub and their gold bbq sauce - chef's kiss! 

Copycat Chipotle Bowls

No recipe here, just build your bowl just like you do when you go through the line at Chipotle! We make cilantro lime rice by squeezing lime juice and adding cilantro to our rice. 

Greek Chicken Bowls

I could eat this every night! The base is rice, and we add grilled chicken, tzatziki sauce, chick peas (you could do hummus), a tomato cucumber salad, and some marinated olives. OH, and don't forget the feta! Serve together with some toasted pita, and you've got a very filling meal. We make our tzatziki sauce with non fat greek yogurt which amps up the protein. 

Burger Bowls

Recipe Here

We LOVE this recipe and have been making it almost weekly for a year. It's perfect for when you are craving a burger but don't want a heavy meal. You can make the sauce with greek yogurt instead of mayo to add more protein. We also like to use Primal Kitchen ketchup in the sauce because it cuts down on the sugar. 

Here's the bowl plates we use almost every day!
What are you making this week? 

-Kristen

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Four Bowls For Dinner This Week

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Recent Reads #41

Unfortunately, I've neglected to do any book reviews for months so I have quite the list to share...and that overwhelms me. I'm going to play with the layout with this post versus how I normally do Recent Reads. 

★★★ 3 Star Reads - Just Okay!

This Summer Will Be Different by Carly Fortune - I remember SO little about this. 

Night Road by Kristin Hannah - Soap Opera-y but still a page turner.

Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid - The grief starts right in chapter one.

The Outsiders by SE Hinton - This was one of those books I felt like I was 'supposed' to read. 

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister - Started off SO strong. Ended up being fine.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young -  I do like Adrienne's writing. But, I cannot remember reading this at all...

The Lost World by Michael Crichton - Didn't love this like I loved the first book.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano - The first few books are all five stars for me, so I was kinda bummed this one didn't hit the same. 

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone - Cute but I should have known pregnancy tropes aren't my jam.

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight - Some of this was really strong, but mostly it dragged. I found it frustrating when we started following random side characters. 

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeny - So this hooked me, but it becomes absolutely OUTLANDISH. Completely unbelievable and silly. 

★★★★ 4 Star Reads - Pretty Good!

Kindred by Octavia Butler - Really cool as Octavia Butler is (was maybe?) one of the few Black science fiction writers. Neat concept, but I remember the ending just being okay. 

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin - Really interesting memoir about a cul-de-sac housewife turned inmate

The Crash by Freida McFadden - Gosh this lady can make me turn the page!

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle - I'm trying to read more classics, and I really enjoyed this adventure.

The Favorites by Lyne Fargo - Loved the subject matter, as I loved figure skating in the 90s! (Watching...not skating myself) I'd say if you liked Daisy Jones you'll like this too.

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami - REALLY wild premise, one that isn't that far off from a potential future.  

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall - This was really good, just sad. 

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez - If you don't mind instalove, you might be okay with this. It's also quite sad as the main character is caring for her mother who has dementia. Very realistic, which might be a downer for some. 

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins - This was really good, and is the book I'm reading in the picture above! I feel like it was written to be a movie, so I have a feeling I'll enjoy watching it rather than reading it more. 

The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose - The first 2 books are solid 5 stars for me, so I was a little sad this was only a 4 for me. But it's still good and worth reading! Love Molly and all her people. 

Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center - I just love Katherine Center's books! 

★★★★★ 5 Star Reads - Highly Recommend

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - I have always wanted to read this and I'm so glad I did! It's fantastic. I appreciate the difference between the book and the movie. Love both. 

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger - Loved this adventure of these kids in the 30's. Coming of Age is one of my favorite genres. 

Shop These Books

-Kristen

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Recent Reads #41

Monday, May 12, 2025

Friday Five | 5-9-25

1. Watching: Andor

There has been a lot of Star Wars in our house recently! Blake and I had so much fun going to see Revenge of the Sith in theaters for the 20th anniversary re-release. We love going to the movies anyway, but it was a cool experience to go see this movie together. My friends and I talked about it for months when it came out while I was in High School. 

But, also, we've really really been enjoying the second season of Andor on Disney+! It's such a complex show and I find myself on the edge of my seat every week. They've been released in increments of 3 episodes each week, and I can't imagine the finale of it all next week! 

2. Oura Ring

This was a 'treat yo 'self' kind of purchase, but I have had my eye on an Oura ring for the longest time! It's a smart ring that senses all kinds of health metrics. I'm very interested in working on my health, and I hope that this helps me. It's arriving today, so I can't wait to get it all set up and I hope to do a more in depth review as I wear it. You can get the last version for a LOT cheaper, the main difference is that the newer series are much thinner. 

3. Reading: A Great Big Beautiful Life

I was trying to explain to Blake how there are some authors are just automatic downloads for me. I went with Youtube. You have all kinds of subscriptions, but when your favorite Youtuber posts, that's the video you watch first. 😂 Emily Henry is like that for me. If she releases a book, I know I'm going to read it! I finished her brand new book A Great Big Beautiful Life this week. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read it. I'll be honest, it wasn't my favorite of hers. It jumps back in time, which is different for her books. I didn't love that secondary story line. But, I still enjoyed the book - Emily Henry just writes in a way that is enjoyable to read. Her descriptions are just so good. 

4. Wearing: J Crew Factory Floral Dress

This dress might be my favorite purchase of the whole year! (See photo above!) J Crew dresses are my weakness, I have like 30. This one fits so well, and I just love the colors. If you have kids, there are coordinating pieces too - how precious is that? 

I got a haircut this week, so I'm feeling like a new woman! Thick hair is a blessing I'm not complaining about, but GOSH it's so heavy and becomes very uncomfortable. Not only do the ends look better, but she also thinned it out for me and I can't believe how much hair was on the floor to sweep up. 

5. Buying: All the things.

I feel like Amazon is coming by our house multiple times a day these days! It's the season of graduation parties, and what seems like all the anniversaries. Plus, we are planning a picnic with our congregation and I've purchased a few things for that including an outdoor ladder toss game. 

And, since we've got a Disney trip coming up - I've bought a couple of things to get ready! Including body glitter (hahaha) and Mickey sunglasses. I made shirts from my mom and sister, and I'm working on one for myself. 

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-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-9-25

Friday, May 9, 2025

May Goals

May Overview:

I'm calling May my month to get it together. Now that we are back from vacation, and we are looking ahead toward Summer - I need May to set myself up for success. Hence, this goal list! We have a few things scheduled for the weekends in May, but nothing crazy. My Etsy shop is on vacation mode still and I'm not planning to open it for the month. I've also canceled what I can and moved things around so I have a lighter plate. It's hard to say 'no' but I'm reminding myself that saying no to some things makes room to say yes to others. 

Goal #1 - Limit Social Media Usage

I can't believe how much time I spend scrolling each day. Mostly, it's just out of habit. It's truly not great for me mentally, because the algorithms end up showing me so much negative content. I love videos of creative people singing and dancing, or funny videos of animals and kids. So, I'll see some of that, and then it switches up and I end up seeing sad videos of neglected animals, or arguing/confrontational people. Not to mention just the time waster that social media is. 

I went ahead an deleted a couple of apps from my phone, and set a timer for Instagram. Any reduction in usage I will consider a win.

Goal #2 - Workout 30 Minutes a Day

This is a goal I'm taking very seriously. I can do a whole post on my physical goals in the future. This month I wanted to commit to a 30 minute strength training workout each day this month. I've found that my preference is to stack a few Apple Fitness workouts that target different areas, mixing things up. I'm loving the Core workouts - they are so effective. I'd like to keep running in my workout schedule, but the priority is strength training. So, 30 minutes is the minimum, but ideally I'll also work in a walk on most days. 

Goal #3 - Eliminate 2 Expenses

I'm sure most people experience this, but I've noticed how quickly you can go blind to expenses creeping in to your budget. We are planning on doing some bigger trips at the end of the year and I think I'd like to eliminate 2 of our bigger unnecessary expenses in preparation.

One being our dog groomer. It's been awesome to have the help with grooming the pugs, but I simply can't justify how expensive it is. I mainly like the help with trimming nails. The pugs absolutely hate it! But, I am capable, so it makes sense to eliminate this luxury. I'm not saying our groomer isn't worth the price, but it's already expensive and then adding tip makes it kind of ridiculous.

The 2nd thing I'm thinking I'll move on from is my Hand and Stone membership. It's awesome to have a massage or facial each month, but it's definitely not necessary. I justify it because I don't get my hair or nails done, this is the one thing I did to pamper myself. In addition to the relaxing element, I was having neck and shoulder muscle issues because I was sleeping with the wrong pillow. New pillow acquired, and I'm working on strengthening those muscles. On top of all of that, my favorite massage therapist took a leave of absence. My membership is on pause, so might as well go ahead and cancel and put $100/month back in my pocket. 

The goal is to remove just 2 expenses, but I feel like it might snowball into others. 

Let me know what you are working on this month! What are you saying 'no' to, to make room for yeses? 

-Kristen

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May Goals

Wednesday, May 7, 2025