My Life as Kaylin

In an Instant

2018-02-22T18:54:00.000-05:00

I wasn’t expecting for 2018 to start on such a sad note. The positive mindset I wanted to focus on staying in this year has been tested. The ectopic pregnancy has brought me low. But I try to take it one day at a time and thank God for the small things. I am so grateful that I finally decided to start being an adult and go to the doctor. If I hadn’t made that choice in the fall, I might have ended up with emergency surgery or internal bleeding. I hold on to that hope, that one day I will blessed with another child. I used to write way more when I was younger. This came to me on a car ride home.

In an Instant

A Poem by Me

In an instant everything changed

When I heard those three words

I loved you from day one

I already couldn’t wait until you were here

In an instant everything can change

They say it wasn’t a real one

My life was in danger

You had to be taken away

In an instant everything changed

That injection that searing pain

More than the pain

Knowing that I will never be the same

In an instant everything can change

Because now you’re gone

But I won’t forget you

My little one

5 Years

2017-12-29T10:29:00.002-05:00

5 years. That’s how long it has been since I was steadily blogging. I had a few posts in 2015, but that was nothing of significance. Time is such a funny thing, it seems like it drags at times but in actuality its moving at lightning speed. Here I am almost at the point where my 20s are about to end. It’s a weird feeling that I haven’t fully wrapped my mind around yet. I have heard the saying that age is just a number, but in a lot of ways it feels as if my youth is over.

There are lots of regrets I have in my 20s. There are also a lot of happy moments in my 20s. I would wish to change a lot of things these past 10 years. I wish I would have not taken for granted the blessing of growing up in a Christian family. I wish I didn’t live a sinful life. I wish I had taken serious the truths I had been taught and avoided a lot of heartache. I wish that I hadn’t been selfish and hurt people. I wish I had lived more intentionally and focused on building meaningful relationships. Despite all the regrets, I am still so blessed. Things can always be worst. My family has always been there to support me no matter what. I still have life in me to be better each and every day.

I’ve always been the kind of person to go with the flow. That could be a good thing but also a bad thing. I haven’t lived intentionally or lived with a purpose. There are many things I could have accomplished but only myself has stopped the progression or growth. And now years later the depression and anxiety has only intensified with the normal occurrences of life that can leave a person feeling trapped.

What I have realized as I’ve gotten older is that there are so many hurting people. We are all going through the same things one way or another. It is literally a daily fight with the mind to stay focused and not look at the past or let the negativity win. I am by no means perfect or have it figured it out, but I do have a better sense of hope. Each day I strive to be better. I am forever grateful for family and for my church.

2018 marks another year of being grateful for life. Another opportunity to start living intentionally, because God’s not done with me yet.

Creating a Cleaning Schedule

2015-03-16T20:27:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to figure out a schedule to help me become better at keeping the home clean. Having an organized home is great, but it's no good if I can't keep it in place and clean. I have come across multiple bloggers and articles talking about creating a clean schedule. I've drawn my inspiration from Clean Mama and A Bowl Full of Lemons and adapted their ideas to work for me.

Monday

Bathrooms

Tuesday

Clean Floors

Wednesday

Mid-week Pick Up

Thursday

Laundry Catch Up

Friday

Rotation Task

Saturday

Sheets/Towels

Daily

Clean Counters

Check Floors

Clutter

Laundry

The schedule should be easy to follow. I want to point a couple of things in my list. I have Wednesday as mid week pick because I want that to make sure I'm keeping on track. I can do a little extra if necessary to get behind. Friday will be dedicated to cleaning tasks that don't have to be done as often, such as cleaning the blinds. The key I believe will be maintaining the daily tasks. Keeping up with those will help me not to have too many all day cleaning days.

DIY Wednesdays

2015-03-11T20:59:00.002-04:00

I decided to make a charging station for my electronics. I'm trying a thing of not being on any electronic one hour before bed. The addiction is real people! :-)

Materials

The struggle was real because I don't really have crafting items. I recommend that you get an X-ACTO knife to help with cutting out the holes. (I will be purchasing one very soon.) You can decorate your box any way you want. I only had white constructions paper. That in itself is a surprise, because I like I mentioned I don't craft or DIY.

Steps

Choose a box
Cover box with decoration
Measure and cut out holes
Insert cord
Plug in devices

Here are is the finished results!

Slow & Steady

2015-03-09T19:48:00.000-04:00

Last week I mentioned that the month of March I wanted to focus on organizing the home. I follow so many home organization blogs and yet I'm sitting here in my home still unorganized. I decided that it's time to make it happen. One thing about home organization is that it can be really overwhelming. I'm not even in a large home and it is still overwhelming. The key I've taken from the many articles I've read is to just start small and over time you'll find that everything is organized. My goal is to organize on a budget because it can definitely be pricey looking for storage items.

Here are the two phases I'm doing for each area I decided to organize:

Phase 1: Questions to ask

What do I want to use this space for?
What steps do I need to create to keep this space organized?

Phase 2: Taking action

Purge
Clean
Organize

I have completed two areas so far this month. My front closet and my beside table. First lets talk about the front closet. I decided that I wanted the front closet to store the most used winter coats, work out equipment, cleaning tools and regular tools. I will no longer put anything else in that closet to not overcrowd it and keep it organized.

Before & After

I bought the 2 bins from 5&Below for $5 each. One holds the tools we have and the other holds work out items.

The other thing I organized was my bedside table.

Before

This area was another place I would just throw things in to get out of site. I decided I wanted these two drawers to hold the following things:

Top Drawer

Lip Balms
Eye glass cleaner
Tissue
Chargers
Items for purse & work

Bottom Drawer

Bibles
Notebooks
Kindle
Extra chargers

I bought 4 baskets to create dividers from the Dollar Store. I am confident this will help keep everything neat and organized.

After

The total is $14 for organizing these two areas. Not too bad. Now what area can you tackle this week?

Making it Happen

2015-03-02T19:43:00.000-05:00

I'm baack! Two years have gone by since I've regularly blogged. I did not have any motivation or urge to write which is how time just flew and next thing I know it's 2015. A lot of things have happened in this time span. It's crazy to look back and see how you change as a person. For me 2015 is the year of getting back to the basics in all areas of my life.

My theme this year is to Make it Happen. The book really makes you examine things in your life and what is stopping you from making things happen. I'm still a work in progress, but I hope to share my journey with you. Check out the book here: http://laracasey.com/book/

March's blog post schedule will be Mon | Wed | Fri. My focus this month will be on organizing the home one task at a time. I will speak more on this top in my next post. Make sure to follow me on on social media for daily happenings in my life.

Fashion Lookbook: ModCloth

2013-05-08T21:39:00.000-04:00

(pics go left to right)

1/2/3/4

necklace/purse/shoes/purse

My 5 Favorite Beauty Products

2013-05-04T00:17:00.000-04:00

Naked Palette

I literally use this everyday. I love love love this palette. I don't feel like I need to get the other two that came after this one. This has all I need.

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Queen Collection Cover Girl 3 in 1 Foundation

What can I say this foundation is the bomb. Seriously go buy it now. Primer, concealer and foundation all in one.

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Maybelline Falsies Mascara

I don't think this makes my eyelashes look like falsies, but I still love it.

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NYX Eye Pencil

This eyeliner glides on so smooth and you cant beat the price (3.50).

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NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil

I love using these pencils as a base for my eyeshadow.

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Michael Kors Wish List

2013-04-29T20:53:00.000-04:00


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Small Saffiano Travel Tote

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Small Fulton Saffiano Messenger

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Midsize Rose Golden Stainless Steel Bradshaw Chronograph Watch

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Large Selma Top-Zip Satchel

Spring/Summer Trends 2013

2013-04-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

My top 3 favorite Spring/Summer Trends

Floral

I'm really picky with floral prints, but this season I want to try a few bolder pieces.

Stripes

I love stripes. It's so classic and fresh.

Pastel

Pale pink and mint green are my favorite pastels. I recently got a pale lavender crossover bag from Target that's super cute. Perfect for this trend!

All images via here

My Hair Routine & Products

2013-04-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

I’ve been relaxer free since the end of 2011. I cut off all my relaxed ends November 2012. I don't consider it a "big chop" since I transitioned for year.

Chopped of relaxed ends

Hair is growing

Twist out

I can finally put it in a puff!

I’m still learning how to work with my hair and what is best for it, but I thought I would share some tips and things I do with my natural hair. This may not work for you, but the key is finding what does work for your own hair.I also don't like to use a lot of products, I just try to keep it moisturized and let it do its thing.

I co-wash my hair 3 times a week. Co- washing is using a conditioner like shampoo to keep the hair clean and moisturized. I follow up with a leave-in conditioner and then with my styling product.
I use heat on my hair very little. I straightened by hair occasionally throughout my transitioning period and only have straightened it once since I cut the relaxed ends off. Heat is really damaging to the hair so I try to avoid it.
I try to deep condition twice a month.
I only shampoo/cleanse my hair 1-2 times a month.

Products I use

TRESemme Naturals Silicone Free Conditioner for my cowash


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Paul Mitchell The Conditioner as my leave in conditioner.

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Shea Moisture Style & Curl Milk as a moisturizer.

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I use Eco Styler Gel when I'm doing a twist out.

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Right now I'm using up Motions Deep Penetrating Treatment as my deep conditioner, but I would like to try something else.

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Instagram Life: Warm Weather

2013-04-08T06:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend was so nice! I'm so excited because it is the beginning of warm weather. I went to the cherry blossom festival ith my sister and kids. Unfortunately, the trees weren't at peak like the news said it would be, but a few trees were in bloom. I think this summer season I want to try to do more things outside. You better believe it I will be sprayed up with bug repellent before I set foot outside though, they love to bite me up!

Getting Fit: The Goal

2013-04-03T22:12:00.001-04:00

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Well, I'm back at it again, trying to live a healthier lifestyle. My Goal is to lose 5 pounds this month of April. It may sound small but I have to start small or I'm never going to go anywhere. I started this 20 minute workout yesterday. Okay so it wasn't 20 minutes, but at least I started. (Smile.)

I'm also on day 3 of no soda and it's going okay so far. I don't want to deprive myself of all food I love to eat, but I'm trying to eat more vegetables and fruit. And of course lots and lots of water!

Organizing Tips: Purse

2013-03-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm either rummaging around trying to find something in my purse or forgetting to transfer an item to my new bag that I switched to for the day.

I read this blog post by A Bowl full of Lemons about this company called sugarSNAP. It's a file system for the purse, diaper bag or the car. But, I am not about to pay $44! Sorry, I'm cheap. I rather come up with my own "filing" system to keep things organized. I used to subscribe to My Glam Bag (now called Ipsy) to get beauty product samples on a monthly basis. Each month the products would be in a makeup bag. I decided to use those bags to organize my purse. (My sister recently did this too. She said it's way easier to just transfer the bags over to her new purse.)

Bag one carries all my pens, work badge, and metro card

Bag two carries my lotion, tissue and hand sanitizer

Bag 3 carries my mirror and lip products.

Bag 4 carries my toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, nail file, nail clippers.

I hope this helps in giving you ideas on organizing your purse. No more digging around! :-)

Organizing Tips: Pantry

2013-03-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

I decided to share with you all pictures I've come across of pantries that are organized and pretty. Currently, my pantry just has things grouped with like items. Nothing is in nice baskets or decorated, but one day! Until then, get inspired to spruce up your pantry and ways to keep it organized.

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Kaylin's Kitchen: Bubble Up Enchiladas

2013-03-27T22:32:00.001-04:00

I bring to you another 5 ingredient meal! I've never used ground turkey before, but it basically like ground beef. I think it definitely is more healthy than beef.

If you want the recipe go here.

Brown the turkey

Add the sauce and biscuits.

Bake it and then devour.

In other News: Kim Kardashian

2013-03-25T20:14:00.000-04:00

I 100% believe Kim Kardashian doesn't realize the things she wears half of the time doesn't look good. And now that she's pregnant it's even worse. I saw this pic last week and I couldn't help but laugh. I have no words

Kaylin's Kitchen: Chess Squares

2013-03-20T10:08:00.000-04:00

If you want more info on the recipe go here.

I love recipes that call for 5 ingredients. So easy and simple.

This "brownie" is so good! I can't even describe to you how good it is. Go to the link I have posted above, because she has amazing photos that show all of it's goodness.

In Other News: Cruises, Knives, & The Bible

2013-03-18T20:09:00.000-04:00

In the span of one month, 4 (yes 4) Carnival cruise ships have malfunctioned. Besides the fact that I'm not a water person, I'm not in any hurry to go on a cruise. Especially not Carnival!

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The History has been playing a series called 'The Bible'. I have not seen any of the episodes, but I came across a headline that caused me to literally bust out laughing. The title read:

‘The Bible’ Producers Call Controversy Over Satan’s Resemblance To President Obama “Utter Nonsense”

haahhahahah.

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TSA to allow small knives on planes. Hmmm and yet I still have to bring travel-size beauty/bath products.

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Kaylin's Kitchen: Slow Cooked Brown Sugar Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

2013-03-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

First time using my crock-pot, yay me! :-) I found this recipe on Pinterest. Find the original recipe here. When I tell you this recipe is so good, I'm telling you it's so good! Love it!

Ingredients

2lbs boneless chicken breast

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks

5 tbsp of butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Put the chicken and sweet potatoes in the crock-pot. (Chicken can be frozen.) Stir the brown sugar into the melted butter. Add salt and pepper Pour over chicken and sweet potatoes Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 5-6 hours

I used more butter and brown sugar. I also seasoned my meat instead of putting it in the brown sugar/butter mix.

So good! I don't think the picture does it justice (boo to my wack camera).

In other New: Are you Serious

2013-03-11T21:56:00.001-04:00

I have only three words for the following things:

Are you serious?!

Casey Anthony makes first appearance since found not guilty of murdering her daughter, Caylee.The fact that she's walking around free. Are you serious?!

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Preachers' Daughters on Lifetime

Straight foolishness. Are you serious?!

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Applebee's Customer tries to buy a drink with waitress's stolen ID

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What are the odds of this happening, this waitress is real happy right about now.

Organizing Tips: Beauty

2013-03-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've had these urges to organize things. I started following a bunch of organizational websites/blogs. I want to organize everything that I can!

Every Friday in March, I want to bring you some tips on things that I have organized in my home.

This week's focus is beauty products.

Until I can get my spare bedroom like I want to, I store all my beauty products in our guest bathroom under the sink.

My makeup is stored all in a train case. I keep my eye shadow pallets in a napkin holder I got from the dollar store. My brushes are stored in the bag on top of the train case.

I recently bought this rack to store my nail polish. It makes it so much easier to see everything. Sometimes the nail polishes were sliding off, so I put a shelf liner to have some grip. Behind the nail polish, I have a box with all my nail supplies.

I keep the two bags on the side in the middle part with the foundation. In those two bags, I store my lip gloss and lipstick.

I keep everything sectioned by category.

This makeup bag contains false eyelashes. I keep my foundation and powders at the bottom.

My tips on beauty organization:

If you have limited space, store makeup in train case

Use plastic or acrylic drawers to store makeup

Display nail polish on racks to be able to see all polishes

Store nail polish in bins/baskets (Paint nail color on top of bottles to be able to see what color it is)

Group like things together in bins/baskets to be able to grab easily

Kaylin's Kitchen: Churro Waffles

2013-03-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

I love waffles. I saw this recipe here and it was a given, I was definitely making it. The recipe is super easy too which is a plus! I decided to follow their recipe for waffles, but you can use any recipe. Be sure to check out Six Sisters' Stuff, they have tons of recipes.

Ingredients

For waffles:

2 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

For covering:

3/4 cup sugar

3-4 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients in to dry ingredients and blend. Make sure waffle maker is preheated. Go ahead and make your waffles golden and crisp.

Place hot waffle in melted butter and then coat with cinnamon/sugar mix on both sides.

The final results!

So yummy!

In Other News: Downton Abby, Knuckleheads & Suri's Burn List

2013-03-05T20:10:00.002-05:00

Every Monday in March, I will be posting about random things that I have come across that past week in media, etc. (Yes, today isn't Monday but next Monday for sure you will find a post.)

Suri's Burn List

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The author of this blog basically makes fun of celebrities; but through the eyes of Suri, the daughter of Kate Holmes. She recently released a book (seen above). Seriously, if I want laugh I to this website.

Downton Abbey

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I absolutely love this show! Yes, I know I'm super late with jumping on the bandwagon but hey at least I'm on it now. I just found out that the maid, O'Brien, won't be returning for Season 4. Noooo!

Knuckleheads in the News

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In the mornings as I listen to the news on the radio, they have a segment called "Knuckleheads in the News". All I can say is people are so ridicuously dumb. I heard this one the other day:

"A Florida man who said he was robbed of the crowbar he used to break into several homes. The 29-year-old told the cops someone had stolen his backpack with his wallet, crowbar and black skully after he left the stuff at one of the houses he robbed. He's being charged with kidnapping and armed home invasion."

Are you kidding me! Who does this!

Oscar Red Carpet Favs 2013

2013-03-02T15:49:00.000-05:00

I actually watched the entire Oscars this year, which is something I never do. I can only take snippets of awards shows and then I'm over it.

I like the simplicity but elegance to this look.

All white is not really me, but this dress looked good on Charlize Theron.

Simple with a little sparkle. I like.

I thought this dress looked really good on Sandra Bullock.

This is the dress I would definitely wear to the Oscars. I love it, so pretty!

Jenna looked so pretty with her pregnant belly. Channing Tatum is still whatever to me. Ha.

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