LOVING LATELY

+ONE OUT OF DIAPERS!

Guess who is potty trained? So proud of Cam! He has been consistently going in the potty (both 1 & 2) for the past few months, but it wasn't until recently that he really showed an interest in the big boy underwear. We didn't want to start the training before we moved (we weren't sure how long it would take exactly) and then have him regress in the new home with the new bathrooms and such, so we are really glad we waited until he was 100% ready. He had it down pretty much right away (I just had him in big boy underwear those days-no pants) and took him out of the house twice this past week and in the car for short times with no accidents (although-another story at the bottom of the post.) We are doing pull-ups for bedtime, but he has done so well and it was a lot easier than we thought! (M&M's were the motivation for the first few days but then he just stopped asking for them) 

this pic has nothing to do with potty training, I thought I would spare you all, and him in the future, of a picture of that (but I did get some cute ones!) and this one just makes me smile! 

+AMAZON

Okay, have always loved me some Amazon, but even more so lately. I snagged this belt (in black) and these sconces for our office. Originally I was going to go with brass glass sconces, but at the last minute found these sconces that I really love and think will fit our style better instead. 

+KITCHEN MAKEOVER

Our kitchen cabinets are currently getting a makeover! We had a company come in on Friday to begin the process and they should be finished on Tuesday, but then the cabinets still need time to cure. They are already looking SO good...I can't wait to share all the before and after pictures! 

this is after a coat of primer

+BRUNCH WITH A GOOD GIRLFRIENDS

Especially when they involve prosecco, chicken and waffles, and some damn good beignets. 

local girls-this is Kraft House in Powell!

+NEW NIKE'S

I caved and finally got this pair! And the greatest part? I saved $20 by shopping with WikiBuy! (WikiBuy helps you find the best deals across the web!) 

+THE FIVE  ON NETFLIX 

We binge watched six episodes on Saturday night. SIX. That good. Have you guys watched it? What other series on Netflix do you LOVE??

Oh and because I can't leave this out - what I'm not loving?

Last night we went to our friends' sons birthday party and within 5 minutes of arriving we had to leave because Camden got sick.And to make it harder, Billy wasn't with me because he had hockey. It was pretty bad! He had been fine all day, but in the car on the way he got quiet and said his tummy was bothering him. Poor little buddy and Grayson was so sad because he didn't want to leave! We're pretty sure it was just something he ate, though, so it definitely could be worse. Really hoping it's not!

Happy Monday friends! 

CAMDEN'S CONSTRUCTION 3RD BIRTHDAY PARTY

At this age, not many other things can explain Camden more than loving ALL things construction. It was the perfect 3rd birthday party theme for him! His party was at our house which was nice considering there was a blizzard the night prior and it was freezing outside! All of our family and friends were still able to make it to his party (which we are so thankful for-Camden was so happy to have all his little friends, cousins, and family there!) and I think everyone enjoyed it. 

One thing that we know Camden for sure enjoyed was his cake. I'm not lying when I say that 3 hours before his party, when we turned our attention off of him for no longer than a minute, he climbed up onto the kitchen counter and helped himself to the top layer of his cake. He had cake all over his mouth and Billy screamed when he saw him because he knew I would be so sad that his cake was destroyed before anyone got to see it, haha! It is totally not surprising though because Cam would so do something like that. I'm glad I at least got a picture of it before he got his hands to it! 

I think we had over 25 adults and over 10 kids here - it was such a fun party and Camden was over the moon thrilled with all his cool gifts he got. 

Here's some pictures of the details & other fun stuff from his party...

 (this pic shows some of the "damage" Cam did-which actually just looked like dirt and that it was meant to be there ha but notice how the number is gone and the other side was worse than this!)

 And as if he didn't get enough from before...after we all sang him happy birthday he dove face first right into it! He did this 3 or 4 times - everyone was cracking up. Boy loves him some cake, who can blame him?!

I can't publish this post and NOT share this amazing picture of my parents and the boys. THIS is truly what happens after 1. Too much sugar and 2. You try to make your kids take too many pictures AFTER the party (always do pictures before the party...ALWAYS!)

Also, I wanted to share some pictures from his actual birthday since his party was actually the weekend after! Billy took the afternoon off work and we took the boys to Camden's favorite place to play - Recreations Outlet (which is 5 mins from our house! so nice) - that has tons of playground sets, basketball courts, baseball and soccer nets, and trampolines! 

After they were worn out (more like us) we went out to dinner for mexican food, and Cam thought it was the coolest thing ever that they came out to sing to him and he got to wear the big sombrero...

(Grayson was so silly at dinner-making funny faces and dancing in his highchair)

And since the bowl of ice cream that he had at dinner (that he did share with us) wasn't enough for a birthday, when we got home he enjoyed some more cake. 

We definitely won't ever forget this birthday. Or how happy we all were seeing HIM so happy. 

Love you, Cam! 

FARMHOUSE LIGHTING ON A BUDGET

Shopping for new lights for our house has been so exciting. Light fixtures aren't the easiest home purchases to shop for, but they make such a huge statement and really complete a room. I searched and searched for the best farmhouse light fixtures that had great reviews (I always recommend reading reviews and looking at the pictures so that you can see how they look in other peoples space-this really helps me decide!) and that were budget friendly. Some of these lights I knew I wanted before we even bought our house, so I was really anxious to pull the trigger on them and get them hung! 

Odie 8-Light Pendant: This is my favorite house purchase so far. I bought it right away when we closed on our house because I KNEW I had to have it for our dining room. It is so sleek and gorgeous and looks far more expensive than what it is! We love how it looks when we dim the lights in it too. 

Hankinson 5-Light Globe Pendant: We have this beauty hanging in our stairway, which is next to our family room. It's the perfect size (not too small) and we've gotten a ton of compliments on it!

Angelica 5-Light Chandelier: We got this one for our foyer and I adore it - however it's a little too small for our space (would be cute in a dining room though or a more narrow entryway) so I'm leaning towards getting THIS chandelier to replace it. 

Carmen 6-Light Foyer Pendant: This is hanging over our kitchen table. We are both obsessed with this light and are very pleased with how large it actually is. It's simple but stylish! And we love how well it pairs with the light in our dining room and how it has the clean lines. (other colors are available of this) 

1-Light Semi Flush Mount: Perfect for a laundry room (which is where we have ours) or a bathroom! 

If you like these type of posts, please let me know via the comments, email, or instagram and I will try to work on some more home posts! Happy Monday! :) 

The Very Best Crockpot Recipes

Hi friends!

I'm so happy so many of you liked this idea and submitted your favorite crockpot recipes to me over on my instagram! (@katiewkrysh) I have a bunch of great recipes for you today that you can pin, save, share with your partner, etc. I did have a few others sent to me but some didn’t have measurements or they were repeats of the ones below, so I didn’t include them  This time of year is always difficult for me to have the motivation to cook (the warmer months are always so much easier!) so I think these will really help me (and hopefully you guys) meal plan better and give our family some new delicious meals to eat!

Here we go...

Creamy Chicken Stew

Slow Cooker Black Bean Taco Chili 

Paleo Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Slow Cooker Lasagna

 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Paula Deen Taco Soup with Ground Beef and Onions 

 Trisha Yearwood's Crock Pot Pork Loin

Easy Crock Pot Taco Soup

Spicy Ground Chicken:

-Ground Chicken

-1 cup chicken broth

-1 cup RAO sauce (or any pasta sauce)

-1/4 cup hot sauce

-1 cup chopped carrots

-1 cup chopped celery

-1/2 onion diced

-1 tbsp smoked paprika

-1 tbsp cumin

Salt/Pepper to taste

Mix together and cook on low for 4-5 hours

Italian Chicken:

-3 chicken breasts

-7-8 red potatoes 

-1 bag of baby carrots

-Italian dressing

Cook on low 5-6 hours 

Thank you guys again for participating! I'm starving now and can't wait to make these!

9 HONEST TRUTHS

I started putting together another "currently" monthly update type of post, but then this idea dawned on me. 9 honest truths...I like it! And if you want to share an honest truth of yours below (or can relate to any of mine), I'd love to hear them.

1. January is the hardest month of the year for me. The holidays are over, the weather is way too cold, it's not yet February so you can't start mentally getting in the spring mindset or excited about a holiday, and I always just feel down and not like myself. Exercising really seems to help a little bit, though (more on that below.)

2. Preschool open registration for Camden gave me at least 10 gray hairs and stressed me out way too much. They take it pretty seriously at my top 2 choice programs and by seriously I mean people line up starting at 3:30 am for current families and 5:30am for new families. The good news is that he got into the class that was our top pick, so he will be going to the same church that me and Billy actually got married at, which I think is really cool and kinda special!

3. I have old lady knees. They are so bad that they crack loudly every single time I bend down, and bother me a lot when I do certain workout exercises like squats. Speaking of - I just started the BBG 12 week workout program. I like it because I can easily do the exercises during nap time at home and it's quick workouts.

4. I have "temporarily misplaced" something really, really important to me when we moved. I say misplaced because I'm trying to stay positive that it's not lost forever. It was one of those situations that the item meant so much to me that I decided to not put it in just a regular moving box, but somewhere that I THOUGHT would be safer, and therefore because I put it in a "unique" spot I can't find it anywhere. I feel really stupid for not remembering where I put it and have been really bummed about it. I've spent spent hours looking with no luck. I feel like I won't stop thinking about it until I find it, and it just really sucks.

5. I'm having the hardest time trying to pick out rugs for our family room and dining room. I'm mainly torn between going with a neutral rug or getting something with color? This is the one with pops of color that I really like. I'm so NOT good at bigger house decor purchases like this because I'm so indecisive (and hate returning things!)

6. I have a crush on Lip in the show Shameless.

7. I've sucked at cooking new recipes for like, oh the past year. I'm wanting to cook in the crock-pot more (mainly because I can prepare in the morning vs. scramble to put something together at the busiest time of our day) so I posted on my instastories about compiling crock-pot recipes that you guys submit to me. I have gotten SO MANY GOOD recipes sent to me and WILL have the post up sharing them tomorrow!

8. I attempted to apply shiplap wallpaper on a wall in our half bathroom and no - it definitely ended up in a giant wad on our dining room table after an hour. It was the biggest fail. Not every house project goes well or is "easy" like they appear on Pinterest. :)

9. The other day I told someone my wrong age. I blanked and FORGOT my own age?! Like, what? I swear to you my mind is mush some days. I think I need to take some vitamins that help with forgetfulness. Stat. 

Happy Wednesday! Don't forget to check back tomorrow to pin a bunch of yummy recipes and get some cooking inspiration!

You Are Three! Happy Birthday Camden!

Dear Camden,

You are brave and strong. You are funny and silly. You are smart and learn quickly. You are confident and determined. You are outgoing and friendly. You make us laugh every hour of every day. You are a leader and a loving big brother. You will change the world one day. You are our pride and joy. Thank you for the greatest, most fun 3 years. Thank you for being you. Happy 3rd birthday my sweet boy! Today is all about you, we love you to the moon and back💗🎊🎈

Mommy, Daddy, Grayson, and Kona

FIVE THINGS

Happy Monday! Hope your coffee is as strong as mine is this morning!

So, I figured it's been too too long since I've done a big life update on here so here's a lot of random...

-ONE-

Today officially marks Camden's birthday week! He turns THREE on Wednesday and his birthday party is this Saturday! We are doing a construction theme (his choice) and opted to have it at our house since it will also give us a chance to show a lot of our family + friends the new house. This 3rd birthday, though, is a little bit harder for me to accept than when he turned 2! Three years old just seems so much more grown up - even though he's still little, it doesn't feel that way as much. I have been going through pictures of him and could just cry at how much he has grown. We have been so consumed with getting things done around the house that I'm really excited to take a break and for a chance to just celebrate HIM all week...

-TWO-

Last weekend we took the boys to see Paw Patrol Live at the Ohio Theatre, which was so much fun. Camden was really into it and kept saying hi to all the pups! Grayson loved it too (especially the music) and they both sang and danced practically the whole time. It kept their attention and we loved seeing how much they enjoyed it (the best part about taking your kids to events like that - right?!) 

 (other picture was from a christmas celebration with my mom's side of the family - Gray was pretty happy with his presents... :)) 

-THREE-

I've had some major cabin fever lately with these frigid temps. I feel so bad that Kona can't get any walks outside, and taking the boys to go anywhere in the car takes about 25 minutes to just get them dressed with 101 layers on and to get the car warmed up to leave. I'm thankful we now have a bigger play area for the boys compared to our last house, which is so nice, but it's still hard not being able to get outside at all. I am dreaming of tropical weather!

(not the best angle to see the trim & it still needs to be painted but you get the idea and can see the new color of the room!)

-FOUR-

Has anyone had their cabinets sprayed before? After Camden's party that is the next project on our list to have done, and I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on how you like it and what paint you used! (We are hiring people to do it - we won't be trying to do it ourselves as we've never done that before and don't want to mess it up) I'm super excited to post pictures of the before & afters!

-FIVE-

One of my smaller personal goals for this year is to stop staying up so late at night. I have gotten into a bad habit of staying up past midnight every night, and let me tell you it SHOWS the next day in multiple ways. It's hard though because sometimes I feel like that late at night when everyone is asleep is MY time to get things done. I love staying home with the boys everyday, but the hardest part is not having much time to myself or to truly get what feels like a "break". On another note - preschool registration for the fall is coming up and I'm touring a few of my favorite places for Camden to go to this week!

That's enough of my ramblings for today...I'm working on a fun house post that will be up this week! have a good day friends!

COZY FAVORITES THAT I LOVE

Hi friends! Happy 2018!

Did you guys set goals for yourself for this year? It's exciting to me to have a fresh start + make lists of things I want to improve on. I just finished typing up some personal + blogging goals for the year that I plan to share soon! In other life news, we are having more work done in our house today. New cabinet doors will be installed in our office and we're getting more farmhouse trim added to our windows in the master bedroom, bathroom, and in the boys' playroom upstairs. If you're contemplating doing this, I couldn't recommend it enough as it makes a big difference for little cost. We also just finished painting our master bathroom (we went with Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams - which seems to be the "it" bathroom color so I hear), which we're really happy to have gotten done. I wanted to just bite the bullet and do it ourselves since it's literally freezing outside so we can't do much outside the house anyways!

Anyway, with the crazy cold temperatures we've been having I wanted to share my go-to items for really chilly days that I'm constantly wearing and love. Unfortunately, warm weather is not on our horizon here in Ohio for what feels like a DECADE FROM NOW, but at least we can cozy up in some cute comfy clothes in the mean time...

 Nike Quilted Sweatshirt // Sorel Boots (these are the slim version + the best for getting on and off!) // Patagonia Pullover (I practically live in mine) // Lace-Up Top (can't go wrong) // Beanie (only $15) // Jogger Pants (the best!) // Ugg Water Resistant Bootie (these are so cute for running errands!) // Fleece Pajama Set (So COZY + on major sale!!!) // Zella Don't Sweat It Top

 Stay warm friends!