Completely satisfied New Yr, pals! Very long time, no “see”! I had such an incredible end-of-year break, and even took an extended break than regular. It wasn’t actually deliberate, however I felt myself winding down and shedding deal with house-related tasks about midway by way of December, after which after I wrote my How Did I Do On My 2023 Home Goals? publish, it simply felt like a pure near my running a blog yr.
My longer break was incredible! I didn’t do even one single home-related challenge. I didn’t even give my home-related tasks a thought. I used to be centered on different issues, and decided to carry off on consuming my thoughts with ideas of home-related issues till after the start of the brand new yr.
Right here’s how I spent my time over these final two weeks.
I frolicked with household
I imply, that’s a given. That’s what folks do at Christmas. My household received collectively at my mother’s home, and we had nice meals, nice dialog, and an exquisite time collectively.
As soon as once more, identical to at Thanksgiving after we do a really non-traditional brunch, we didn’t have a conventional Christmas meal. This yr, we selected Mexican (or most likely extra Tex-Mex) meals. My mother made an exquisite Tex-Mex-inspired casserole, together with refried beans, Mexican rice, tortillas. However my absolute favourite was a hominy casserole that she made. Right here is the recipe. I feel lots of you’ll want to save this because it’s fast and straightforward to make, and an incredible aspect dish for a crowd.
Oleo. 😀 That cracks me up. I all the time know that any recipe that my mother has that requires oleo virtually assuredly got here from my grandmother. 😀 Clearly, I’d swap that out for some actual butter. But it surely’s tremendous easy and so scrumptious!
One other favourite recipe from this yr is one which I made known as Saltine Cracker Toffee. I went to a Christmas social gathering and this was one of many many desserts that they had, and I used to be amazed at how scrumptious the toffee was. Once I requested the hostess if she made it and the way it was made, she began out with, “Nicely, you line a pan with saltine crackers…” She’s 92 years outdated, and I instantly thought, “Oh, poor factor didn’t perceive my query.” 😀 Nicely, she understood simply superb! This toffee dessert is made with saltine crackers! I got here house and googled the recipe in order that I may make it for our Christmas meal. And it’s additionally tremendous easy to make.
I received into my train routine
I made it a degree to get into an train routine throughout my break, and I received a lot use out of our house fitness center! I really feel higher popping out of this vacation season than I ever have prior to now. I received a lot use out of my rebounder, my rower, and my kettle bell.
Not solely that, however I additionally began strolling each day. Keep in mind how I advised y’all final yr that I’d like to have a strolling monitor in our again yard? A number of folks questioned if that’s really one thing I’d use, and I’m right here to let you know that I’d undoubtedly use it! I did laps recurrently round our again yard, and each time, I assumed how a lot simpler it might be on my toes and shins if I had a degree, clean floor to stroll on. So now that I’ve established this strolling routine, I’m far more severe about this imaginative and prescient for our again yard that features a strolling path!
I made a ton of knickknack!
My obsession with making necklaces is unquestionably slowing down. I’ve gotten most of it out of my system, though I do nonetheless get pleasure from it. However by the point I began winding down, I had virtually 90 necklaces. 😀
Once I solely had about 20 or 30, I used to be storing the necklaces on this drawer in our rest room, and it labored out simply superb.
However now that I’ve so many, there’s no means I can match all of those in a drawer. So I’ve been attempting to give you a storage resolution that makes them simple to see. I feel I could make one thing utilizing a dowel rod that sits on prime of the counter like this. That means, as soon as we now have our bed room with our wall of IKEA wardrobes, I can simply switch the necklaces into a kind of wardrobes.
However I additionally moved on from doing solely necklaces to creating earrings. I began off making tremendous easy earrings like this…
However I shortly moved on to more difficult designs, and discovered that this cluster design is my absolute favourite to make. I like how they give the impression of being on as nicely, however they’re simply so enjoyable to make. I benefit from the course of a lot!
So I ended up making a couple of pairs of this fashion. I made these with these iridescent stones (I can’t keep in mind what they’re known as).
These gold nugget cluster earrings had been my first that I made.
In all I made six pairs of cluster earrings. Listed here are 5 of them.
However these are my absolute favourite. I attempted to carry them up, however Felicity was very curious.
So you possibly can see them right here. They’re like clusters of enjoyable and happiness on my ears! 😀
Y’all, I took some severe benefit of on-line gross sales this yr. I imply, I turned a procuring fanatic. I purchased a lot of sneakers, pants, sweaters. I couldn’t cease! These gross sales had been calling me! 😀
Since I’m not a style blogger, y’all could not now this about me. However I like sneakers a lot!!! If I lacked all self-control, I’d purchase new sneakers each single day. I LOVE SHOES! So listed below are the brand new sneakers I purchased whereas profiting from superb gross sales.
First, I purchased three new pairs of Franco Sarto sneakers. Franco Sarto is certainly one of my prime two favourite manufacturers of sneakers. I want I may purchase all of them, however I caught to those pink patent leather-based (fake) Mary Jane flats, these tri-color lug sole loafers, and these black patent leather-based (fake) lug sole loafers.
Have I ever advised y’all how a lot I like lug sole loafers?
And I like fairly particulars as nicely, like this silver detailing on the backs of those loafers.
My second favourite model of sneakers is Keds. Sure, Keds. And I purchased two pairs of Chelsea boots (that are so snug!), and a few pairs of sneakers for spring and summer time.
I like Keds as a result of they’re always doing collaborations with Rifle Paper Firm, which produces such enjoyable, colourful patterns. These are my favourite ones I’ve ever bought. These colourful embroidered floral sneakers are from about two seasons in the past, and so they’re nonetheless a few of my favourite sneakers. I have to get these cleaned up and prepared for spring!
After which lastly, I received myself a brand new pair of brown boots with chunky heels.
I virtually by no means purchase sneakers at full value. I look forward to superb gross sales, I search and search to see who has the bottom value, after which I pounce. 😀 For instance, these cute little Franco Sarto Mary Janes had been $115 on the Franco Sarto web site.
I don’t like paying over $100 for a pair of sneakers if I don’t should, so I searched and searched, and located that Belk was having an AMAZING vacation sale on sneakers. So I received them for round $50. That’s simply how I store, y’all! 😀 You’ll not often discover me paying full value for something like that. I’m too low cost for that!
I additionally found a model of denims that truly matches me!! I don’t know if any of you could have the identical drawback I’ve, however all of my life, I’d had bother discovering denims that match me correctly.
Nicely, for some motive, the Fb algorithm began feeding me advert after advert for a model known as Judy Blue. It’s a model that isn’t bought in massive shops, evidently. So I began getting advertisements for these random boutique shops promoting Judy Blue pants, and so they’re all saying how superb they match, how stretchy and cozy they’re, and on and on. So I lastly gave in and acquired some.
They’re AMAZING!!! I like them a lot that I’m fairly positive I ended up shopping for about 10 pairs from varied on-line shops. I imply, Fb has me dialed in now, and so they feed me ALLLLL of the Judy Blue advertisements. And I like them a lot that I’m tempted to purchase all of them! This retailer, Moco Boutique, is the principle place I’ve bought them (on sale, in fact!), and their descriptions are very correct so far as sizing. So when you’re like me, and you’ve got bother discovering denims that match correctly, you would possibly attempt Judy Blue! I nonetheless should hem each pair I get as a result of I’m 5 toes tall, however I’m used to that. 😀
And yet another factor. I found one other new-to-me on-line retailer that I can’t get sufficient of. It’s known as Quince, and I saved getting advertisements for this retailer on Instagram. They lastly wore me down, and I ordered certainly one of their $50 cashmere sweaters. This black V-neck Mongolian cashmere sweater was the primary one I ordered.
I cherished it SO MUCH, that I ended up shopping for three extra! I now have this sweater in black, navy blue, cream, and crimson. They’re so mushy and cozy to put on. They’re heat with out being too heavy, particularly for the kind of “winter” we get right here in central Texas. However since they’re not tremendous thick, they’re additionally nice for layering. You could possibly put a shirt below it, and a blazer over it when you dwell in colder areas.
I used to be so impressed with these sweaters that I branched out and got this one as well. I completely LOVE it! This a a lot thicker and heavier sweater than their cashmere sweaters.
So anyway, that about wraps up my end-of-year break — time with household, nice meals, hours and hours making necklaces and earrings, means an excessive amount of on-line procuring, discovering my new favourite model for jeans, and discovering a brand new favourite on-line clothes retailer. Do you discover what’s lacking? Films. I solely watched one Christmas rom-com, thought it was silly, and determined I’d fairly spend my time on different issues. 😀 However sufficient of all of that. Now it’s time to show my consideration again to deal with tasks and get stuff executed! I’m so enthusiastic about what this yr has in retailer.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
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