tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407750778260099712026-10-11T17:40:32.064-05:00life, love, and the pursuit of happinessCandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comBlogger327125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-7913375572662736472026-10-07T22:11:00.000-05:002026-10-08T00:11:39.555-05:00

Of all our pets, Milo is the biggest troublemaker. He has always loved to dart out the door. Usually it's just the back door when we let the dogs out and he doesn't get past the porch before we scoop him up and put him back in the house. But Sunday around midnight, Milo snuck past when Johnny was coming in the front door. It wasn't until later in the day that we noticed he had gotten out. And it

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-67475411276519124322026-09-30T17:41:00.000-05:002026-10-01T16:12:57.013-05:00

It's been over a month since I wrote an "update" kind of post! I went to the eye doctor today. I've been having pulsatile tinnitus with headaches for awhile that I've been assuming are related to high blood pressure. But...I thought I'd make sure everything is okay with my optic nerve because pulsatile tinnitus with headache can be a sign of intracranial hypertension which can commonly occur

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-89247964815818201842026-09-10T23:24:51.850-05:002026-09-10T23:24:51.850-05:00

I haven't made a poke cake in forever! I've always made just the regular strawberry flavor with white cake, but I decided to branch out and try something new this time. Johnny and I both really like lemon, so I decided to go with a lemon cake and paired it with raspberry Jell-O. It was definitely a yummy combination!  Lemon Raspberry Jell-O Poke Cake Ingredients:1 box of Pillsbury

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-53864623510230029282026-08-19T23:58:00.000-05:002026-09-08T11:31:29.436-05:00

It's already been a long week and it's only Wednesday. :P Our water heater has been leaking. We were going to take advantage of 18 month no interest special financing through Home Depot to purchase the new water heater and have them install it. So I went through the Home Depot website to book the free consultation. Their website says that they send someone out who comes out and takes a look

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-67214517899532722262026-08-18T23:56:00.000-05:002026-09-10T14:58:53.716-05:00

Johnny and I celebrated our 9th year of marriage and 14 years back together this week! I truly love our relationship. Johnny and I fell in love more than 21 years ago...but it wasn't the right time back then. I knew from the moment of our first kiss in June 2005 that he was "the one" for me, though. Our life together is even better than I could have imagined back when we met. :) It hasn't been

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-26790728071154993692026-08-12T01:40:23.673-05:002026-08-12T01:40:23.673-05:00

Man...it's been a long week already and it's only...well now it's Wednesday. :P Sunday I was getting ready to print sticker sheet orders on my Romeo...except the black plastic piece of the tensioner (the part that tightens the blade holder in place) broke in half. I found ONE place online that sells it as a replacement part...so I got that ordered. The bad news is that it won't get here

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-57651193965472539722026-08-08T02:24:36.280-05:002026-08-08T14:46:16.501-05:00

I've been super busy with work lately! At least this year I kind of expected it. Last year I had a huge influx of orders for the back-to-school season. Between the custom stickers in my CandiMakerStickers shop and the custom name label sticker sheets in my CandiMakerPlanners shop (in addition to my regular orders), July and August were my best months of 2025 for both numbers of

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-33307590838353135482026-07-13T12:02:32.685-05:002026-07-13T13:54:28.293-05:00

The 4th of July has been over for awhile...but there were some a couple large booms and then some firecrackers that went off this evening. UGH. Nova really does not like fireworks...although she is doing a little better. She used to refuse to go outside from morning until way after midnight because she would anticipate the fireworks happening and wouldn't want to go outside just in case. She'd

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-85004119908946348392026-06-16T16:21:00.000-05:002026-06-16T21:24:13.652-05:00

I posted a recipe toward the beginning of the month, but haven't actually posted an update yet. I've been super busy lately coming up with new products. I finally got my magnetic bookmarks finished and listed last week. So far I just have custom name magnetic bookmarks but I have a few other designs that I just haven't gotten around to finishing up and listing. I decided to put them in my

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-24596399018749457432026-06-05T23:53:00.000-05:002026-06-06T03:26:15.870-05:00

Johnny was talking about how Olive Garden used to have a Chicken Florentine dish that he really liked. So I did some poking around and, as usual, I came up with my own recipe. It was a little difficult since I'd never had Olive Garden's Chicken Florentine so I didn't really have anything to compare it to. And Johnny said he couldn't even remember what it tastes like...just that it was good. :P So

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-69579336346090349102026-05-28T13:28:00.000-05:002026-05-28T13:28:27.733-05:00

This post has been open in my browser since Sunday and I just keep adjusting and adding to it without finishing it. LOL. It's now Thursday...and hopefully I'm posting this without changing that day again. :P I'm so happy that my husband is back home safe and sound. Mom and I took Johnny to the airport Saturday, May 16th and we picked him up on Sunday, May 24th. It was a day longer than his

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-43661823913464223792026-05-15T15:30:54.758-05:002026-05-15T15:30:54.759-05:00

It takes a lot more effort than necessary to think of titles for my blog posts that aren't the same thing all the time. :P I know it's a trivial thing...but my brain gets hung up on things like that. I mean...my essays in school always took just a little bit longer because I couldn't use the same words in close proximity to each other. I don't know...it's a thing. lol. But...at least I have a lot

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-35690012532738375152026-04-25T00:55:00.004-05:002026-06-11T16:20:15.597-05:00

After the lemon pudding cookies turned out so well...I decided to come up with another pudding cookie recipe. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate and I don't really like chocolate chips in my cookies because they either get melty chocolate everywhere or they're harder than the cookie. So...I decided to use a semi-sweet chocolate baking bar and hiding it in the middle of the cookie...melty goodness

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-57325723897282588202026-04-20T00:14:00.004-05:002026-07-27T15:35:31.246-05:00

I thought about just updating my last post with the new stuff like my desk...but I decided to keep that one the way it is for posterity and just make a new post with everything updated...and a little more detailed about the materials I use in case anyone is interested. I have updated this post since I first posted it, though. Here's what my office [mostly] looks like now (I've added/

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-19653830698849193642026-04-19T21:03:00.002-05:002026-04-20T02:07:09.886-05:00

It's been a whole month since I posted an actual update. I've actually had a post open in a tab of my browser with a home office update...but I haven't finished that, either. :P But I really love the layout of my office right now...it's working out so well. The new desk has made a huge difference.  April has started out pretty slow...but about the same as last year. Last April I had 59

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-7582978658271126332026-04-11T22:11:00.009-05:002026-06-11T16:20:37.371-05:00

These are super soft, super yummy lemon cookies. The lemon pudding mix gives it a very nice, sweet lemon flavor. Lemon Pudding CookiesIngredients:2 large eggs, room temperature1/2 tsp vanilla2 tsp lemon juice concentrate1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature1/2 cup shortening1 cup brown sugar1/4 cup sugar1/2 tsp baking soda1 tsp baking powder3.4 oz lemon pudding mix1/2 tsp salt2 1/2 to 3

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-3477380833387682222026-03-18T11:52:00.153-05:002026-03-18T14:36:20.005-05:00

I got a LOT of stuff done this weekend! And...Johnny and I got some new desks! :)Friday morning I decided to start working on my office right after I woke up. I needed to empty everything off of the hutch bookcase so I could move Johnny's old desk (the one that my Romeo was on) to that spot and then put the hutch bookcase on top of the desk where it belongs. That bookcase holds all my cookbooks,

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-86788554502341269802026-03-11T23:58:00.095-05:002026-03-13T15:23:16.496-05:00

So...my Epson ET-16650 has been having some issues. It still prints my stickers and sticker sheets beautifully, but the rollers seem to be having some issues with auto duplexing and recognizing that there is paper in the lower two cassettes unless they're full. I've opened it up multiple times and tried cleaning the rollers and everything...but it's still having issues. But the only things I've

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-89137474182458868442026-03-01T21:02:00.000-06:002026-03-03T02:49:48.534-06:00

Well...I ended February with 97 orders...so didn't make it over 100, but hopefully it'll be the only month with less than 100 orders just like it was last year. And I still had almost 20 more orders this February than I did last year and my revenue was also quite a bit higher. It did pick up more in the last few days. I had 20 orders from over the weekend that I made and packaged last night

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-91061109708171207102026-02-27T22:28:00.066-06:002026-02-28T17:53:02.231-06:00

Well...I'm glad I didn't spend too much more time working on my "website" at GoImagine...because they're shutting down next month. Honestly, I can't say that I'm surprised at all that they're shutting down. It seemed like they spent a lot more effort attracting sellers than buyers. A lot of sellers talked about how they liked that it wasn't Etsy and it focused more on sellers...but Etsy actually

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-87680956170988427592026-02-16T01:36:00.078-06:002026-02-16T02:35:37.845-06:00

Johnny and I are pretty low-key when it comes to holidays. We like to spend quality time together...eating dinner and watching tv shows or movies with each other. I love our nice, comfortable life together. We don't have any drama, there's no fighting...everyday is just...contentment...and I really appreciate that. I did splurge a little bit this year. I've been seeing commercials for edible

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-79743676924876888882026-02-10T21:00:00.006-06:002026-02-13T02:19:52.299-06:00

I've actually had this blog post up in my browser for several weeks...I'd start it but then I'd get distracted or busy with something else and forget to come back and finish it. :P I've been working a lot in my office the last several weekends. We have two metal file cabinets in the office closet and I've been working on scanning everything so we can shred the paper documents. We're wanting

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-2653693688553709232026-01-05T12:11:00.001-06:002026-01-05T12:11:36.930-06:00

Well...I can't say I'm a huge fan of the new year so far. :P On January 1st, we had a coupon for $25 a restaurant order on Instacart, so we decided to get KFC since we hadn't had it in forever. Well...now we won't have it anymore. :P We ordered 4 biscuits...we got a lot of butter and honey, but no biscuits. And then the mashed potato bowl that I always used to get...the quality felt like a

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-67252808095225492302026-01-01T00:00:00.021-06:002026-01-01T01:04:44.240-06:00

Here's my annual "Year in Review" post! :) 1. What age did you turn in 2025? 44 2. What was your relationship status in 2025? Married 8 years, together for 13 years, and in love with each other for 20 years! :)  3. Did you move in 2025? Nope. It'll probably still be several years before we think about moving. We'd actually like to find some land to build on...but we'll see. Oh...Aubry

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040775077826009971.post-11044252622460101852025-12-31T18:49:00.015-06:002026-01-01T01:04:12.360-06:00

It's hard to believe that it's the last day of 2025. I think the best way to describe 2025 is...10 years that went by super fast. It feels like 2025 has just been...a lot. It's actually been wonderful here at home...it's just...you know...outside is crazy times. :P Today is Nova's FIFTH birthday! Nova is just the goodest girl...she is so sweet and laid back. She's the calming influence that

Candihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722214655793737461noreply@blogger.com