One Week

It has been one week since my life changed forever.

In some ways, this has been the longest week of my life. In others, the time has flown by.

The tears come and go. They pop up at the most random times. Usually when I see something that makes me think “I have to send that to my mom.”

That made last Saturday especially difficult.

She and I were looking forward to watching the live stream of the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert. On Saturday, I put my phone on do not disturb and watched it alone. All six hours. And it was phenomenal. She would have absolutely loved it.

I picked up my phone to text her when Wolfgang Van Halen shredded like his dad. I wanted to call her when Queen came on, Rufus Taylor looking like Taylor reincarnated. I bawled when Brian May sang Love of My Life. I ugly cried when they sang Somebody to Love, one of her favorites.

One week.

I’m still trying to navigate this new way of living. Thank God for Sephora. She is right there with kitty cuddles exactly when I need them.

One week.

Oh how I miss you so.

The Part of Adulting They Didn’t Warn You About

Last week, I lost my mom.

I still don’t believe that it’s real. I’ve made arrangements at the funeral home and have told the people who need to know, but it still hasn’t truly sunk in that she’s gone.

This is the part about being an adult that they don’t warn you about. I have never gone through anything like this before. It’s truly the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

I’m devastated. I’m heartbroken. And I’m grateful. I’m so grateful that we made the decision to bring my mom to Louisville almost three years ago. I’m grateful that I got to spend this time with her. I was with her when she passed. It would have been SO MUCH worse had I gotten that heartbreaking phone call from Texas that she was gone.

I’m also grateful to have the amazing support system I do – both here in Louisville and with my family in Texas.

I’m trying to take things one hour – one day at a time. Luckily I work at a place that knows a little bit about that.

I’m trying to adjust to the new normal – but I know it will take awhile. These past few days have been the longest days of my life. I’m planning to stay home for a couple of weeks as I adjust, doing some work from home so that I can distract myself when I need to. My boss and my team have been amazing. I’m thankful that they have my back.

The grief hits in weird ways. I keep reaching for my phone to call my mom or send her a text. Even when she was in Texas, there wasn’t a day where I didn’t talk to her at least once. I think that’s going to be the hardest part of all of this.

I’ve cried. God, have I cried. I’ve also found strength that I didn’t know I had. I’ll be pulling from that more in the future. For now, I’ll take advantage of the extra cuddles and loving that Sephora has been giving me.

Celebrating Every Day

(this post contains affiliate links that will earn me a small commission)

My planner style may evolve every year (or every month), but one thing that stays the same is my love for Krissyanne Designs and the Celebrations Collection. My favorite thing about the Celebrations Collection is the fact that it can be used in any planner and fit anyone’s planning style.

This is the sixth year for the Celebrations Collection, which is a collaboration between Kristin and Cindy Guentert-Baldo (@LlamaLetters). Kristin was kind enough to send me an advance copy again this year so I could review it and share my thoughts with you.

The 2022 Celebrations Collection costs $129 (plus tax and shipping), which is the same as past years. It really is a tremendous value. You get a 1/2” Russell and Hazel binder plus 24 sheets of stickers to help you celebrate every day. Included are:

• Sampler 1: Celebrate Your Life
• Sampler 2: Celebration Doodles
• Celebrate with Steve
• Celebrate Every Day
• 2022 Dated Holidays (9 sheets)
• Winter
• Spring
• Summer
• Fall
• Birthday
• Valentine’s Day
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• New Year
• Functional Sampler

The stickers are available in a bundle without the binder for $115 (plus tax and shipping). Sheets are not available individually or outside of the Celebrations Collection.

The format of the themed seasonal and holiday sheets are similar to the past two years. There are full boxes, functional boxes, and lots of deco. Instead of four small strips, there are now two larger strips – a change that I love. Kristin has also removed a few squares, flats, and arrows to make room for more of Cindy’s artwork and deco. The way I currently plan, this format is *chef’s kiss*. (You can click here for my past reviews of the Celebrations Collections to see how things have changed over the years.) I love the colors Kristin used this year. As always, they represent their season or holiday without being repetitive from previous years.

Kristin is also amazing when it comes to being inclusive with the Collection. This year there are nine sheets of dated holidays (one more than last year) and include Jewish, Muslim, Islamic, and Pagan holidays in addition to Christian holidays. She also includes stickers to mark important months and days, such as Black History Month (February), Women’s Month (March), Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31^st), Mental Health Awareness Month (May), and Pride Month (June). There are also lots of fun holidays to celebrate as well, like Love Your Pet Day (February 20^th), Be a Dork Day (July 15^th – or for me, every day), and Chocolate Day (September 13^th).

The themed sheets included for holidays are more universal – holidays that not everyone may celebrate like Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and the 4^th of July are available as add-ons throughout the year.

Also available tomorrow – calendar die cut stickers and two packs of Steve die cut stickers.

Some exciting news – the first 150 orders will receive a Fast Pass and ship within 3-5 business days. All other orders will ship with a turnaround time of up to 6 weeks.

When you check out, use promo code LACILOOWHO to receive my exclusive Happy Mail Steve keychain. He’s adorable and I love him (die cut not included – I just wanted you to be able to see the image).

I hope you love the 2022 Celebrations Collection as much as I do! I am grateful to Kristin for sending me a copy to review again this year. It is absolutely something I would have purchased on my own.

Check out the slideshow below to see all of the sheets included in the 2022 Celebrations Collection.

2022, I’ve Got My Eye on You

I’m cautiously optimistic heading into the new year. Each year brings change and I’m hopeful that this year’s change will be for the better. We’ll see.

For the past few years, I have chosen a word of the year to guide me. I’m not doing that this year. I’m just glad to have survived. Things have been tough on all of us and I’m happy to have made it through.

Heading into the new year, creativity is what is on my mind. I want to create more – whether in my journals, on this blog, or even making progress when it comes to writing. I have the ideas. I have the vision. I just have to work on the follow through.

That’s the hard part for me simply because I feel tired all the time. When I get home from work, I just want to spend time with my mom and Sephora before getting into bed and doing it all again. I have little motivation to do anything else. That’s one of the things I’m working on in 2022.

It’s all about progress, not perfection. I can’t wait to see how much progress I make during my 43rd year.

Something Different

The past year and a half have really taken their toll.

My creativity has been zapped and I can feel the effect it has had on my mental health. I feel stressed and more irritable. I don’t like feeling this way. At all.

A few months ago, I finally started feeling my planner mojo again. I always feel better when I get things out of my head and on paper, but I had been in a major rut. Nothing was working the way I wanted it to. I tried different sizes of notebooks. I tried a semi-structured planner that still offered the freedom of a notebook, but nothing really stuck.

On a whim, I grabbed a Neapolitan notebook from Archer & Olive. In addition to the white dot grid pages, it has Kraft and black paper all in one notebook. This week, the notebook transitioned from white pages to Kraft. I had to think a little differently about how I was going to use the notebook. Kraft paper was well out of my comfort zone, but it made me be a little more creative when planning my week. And I love how it is turning out.

I have been consistently using my bullet journal again since the beginning of November and I can absolutely tell a difference in my organization and productivity. Putting things on paper just helps me so much. My brain feels less jumbled and I feel more focused.

Another difference is in the way I’m planning. I’m not using kits like I normally do. I’ve been using more deco stickers – something I never liked before – and a few strips and corners. That’s it. And I really like how things have turned out so far.

How long will this be my style? Who knows. But for now, it’s what works. And that’s what is most important.

Blowing Off the Dust

So yeah, it’s been a hot minute.

2021 has been… something.

The good news is that I’m starting to find that creative spark again so I’m going to *hopefully* be updating this thing more than once or twice a year.

Starting slowly with a header refresh and updated favorite shop links. We’ll see where it goes from here.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

(this post contains affiliate links that will earn me a small commission)

It’s been nearly six years since I joined the planner community… and it’s taken awhile for me to hone my style, and know what I’ll use and won’t use, but one thing that has remained consistent for me is my love of Krissyanne Designs.

The one planner purchase I look forward to all year is the Celebrations Collection. I stock up on gift cards during the amazing Pink Friday promotions to plan (no pun intended) for it. This year, Kristin was kind enough to again send me an advance copy to review.

This is the fifth year that she and Cindy Guentert-Baldo (@LlamaLetters) have collaborated on this Collection – and yes, I have all five. I’ve been able to see how the collection has evolved over the years. This year’s format is similar to last year’s, which makes me really happy. There are enough functional stickers on the sheet to make my bullet journal loving heart happy. These sheets are perfect for the way I plan – and coordinating sheets are always offered in the shop if you are more of a no white space planner. You can see my post of last year’s Collection to see how the seasonal sheets changed over the past five years.

Kristin always knocks it out of the park with colors for the Collection. The kits have colors that are representative of their season or holiday without being repetitive. I think my favorite sheets in this year’s Collection are Spring and St. Patrick’s Day… Spring because those are my colors and St. Patrick’s Day because I love a good rainbow.

One thing I appreciate is how inclusive the Collection is. There are EIGHT sheets of holidays (two more than last year) and include Jewish, Muslim, and Pagan holidays – not just Christian holidays. The holiday kit sheets are more universal as well – Birthday, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and New Year. Other holidays that not everyone may celebrate – such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, and the 4th of July – are available as add-ons throughout the year.

Another thing that hasn’t changed – the size of the binder. The 2021 Celebrations Collection comes in a 1/2″ Russell and Hazel binder (like past Collections) – not the 1″ KAD Signature Binder that you can purchase in the shop.

The 2021 Celebrations Collection comes with a total of 24 sheets (up from 22 last year). The price remains the same – $129 plus shipping. If you already have a mini binder and don’t want the one that comes with the Collection, a refill kit is available for $115. Here’s a breakdown of what you get:

• Sampler 1 – Celebrate Your Life
• Sampler 2 – Celebration Doodles
• Celebrate with Steve
• Celebrate Every Day
• 2021 Dated Holidays (8 sheets)
• Hello Winter
• Hello Spring
• Hello Summer
• Hello Fall
• Happy Birthday
• Happy Valentine’s Day
• Happy St. Patrick’s Day
• Happy Halloween
• Happy Thanksgiving
• Happy New Year

The 2021 Celebrations Collection will be available Friday, January 22 at 1pm Eastern through Tuesday, January 26th while supplies last. The first 150 orders will receive a Fast Pass – meaning they will ship within 5-7 business days. All orders have a turnaround time of up to 6 weeks.

Also available Friday – two Steve diecut sticker sets!

I also have a special launch incentive for you! Use coupon code LACILOOWHO and you will get a Study Steve keychain included in your order for free! He’s my little nerd and I love him.

I hope you love the 2021 Celebrations Collection as much as I do! Even if Kristin hadn’t sent me a promotional copy, I would have absolutely purchased it on my own. I am grateful that she chose me again this year to receive this ahead of time so that I can show it to you! 

Will you be picking one up?

Check out the slideshow below to see all of the sheets included in the 2021 Celebrations Collection.

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Best of Intentions

17 days into the new year, I’m tired y’all. I was so optimistic about the start of a new year that we all desperately needed… but so far, my intentions for 2021 have remained just that.

One of my goals for the new year was to write more, including blogging more often. Considering today is January 17th and this is my first post since January 1st, you can tell how that’s going. But that’s okay. The good thing is that there is a lot of 2021 left. I haven’t been writing for 30 minutes a day either, but I am doing a little here and there. It’s a start. I’m not stressing about not being exactly where I want to be 17 days into the new year. Progress is being made.

Progress, not perfection.

We all need to give ourselves a little grace. 2020 and 2021 aren’t your ordinary years. Just surviving and doing your best are huge accomplishments.

How are you doing with your 2021 goals so far?

Time for a Reset

Well, we survived 2020. That’s truly quite an accomplishment. I’m cautiously optimistic about 2021, but who the hell knows how that will turn out.

There were a lot of questionable things that happened in the past 366 days, but one thing that was never in doubt was my job. I’m thankful for that. I know that I’m lucky to have a job that I love at a place that truly cares about its employees. Working from home for much of the year was different. It was challenging. But we survived.

I view the new year as a time to reset. I think that’s something many of us need. Personally, I’m looking to reset creatively. My planner fell by the wayside for much of last year because, 2020. But I missed it. I missed creating spreads in my bullet journal that I could look back on. So I’ve started a new notebook for the new year. Sure I had room left in my old one, but if any new year needed a new planner it’s this one.

I’ve chosen create as my word of the year. Not only do I want to create in my bullet journal, I want to get back to creative writing. So among my goals for 2021 are to write at least 30 minutes a day, blog more, and participate in NaNoWriMo in November.

Non-creative goals I have for this year are to track my spending. My big accomplishment in 2020 (besides surviving it) was that I paid off allllllllll of my credit card debt. FINALLY. That is something I have struggled with my entire adult life and conquering that at age 41 feels freaking amazing. The only debt I have left is my student loans. Those can kiss my ass. I’ll pay my minimums and not worry about it. *shrug*

I hope that 2021 treats us all better… of course it doesn’t have to do much to beat the low standard 2020 set.

What are some of your goals for the new year?

The Bigger, the Better

(this post contains an affiliate link that will earn me a small commission)

They say that size doesn’t matter… but when it comes to sticker storage, it can make a difference. That’s why I’m pumped that Krissyanne Designs is launching their new 1″ binders as part of the permanent line.

The larger 1″ binders were first available as part of the 10 Years of KAD anniversary bundle earlier this year and let me tell you… they hold SO MUCH! I was working from home from mid-March to early July and didn’t really plan, but I was still shopping like nothing had changed. I finally went through and organized all my quarantine orders and I had a fat stack of KAD’s $2 Tuesday kits – and there were no issues fitting them into the new binder.

Kristin was kind enough to send me one of the new binders from the new permanent line and as a member of #TeamSilver, I love all of the silver details. It’s definitely harder to come by in the planner community. All of the hardware on the binder is silver and there’s an option for metallic embossing on the cover. It’s hard to capture in a photo, but the Planner of my design cover as well as my name are embossed in silver and it is SO PRETTY in person.

I have a ton of the current 1/2″ binders and for me, the new size is much needed. There are three binders I keep by my desk at work that contain my most used stickers… and I was able to consolidate those into one.The new 1″ binders will be available on the Krissyanne Designs website starting September 1st. The price is $20… but yes, you’ll still be able to grab one for free with a $100 purchase. Some of the current binder designs will be converted to the new size, but most will be retired.

Also launching on September 1st are Mini KAD Binders, which are designed to fit the new 4×6 mini sheets. The Mini KAD Binder has two rings instead of three and has a 3/4″ ring configuration.

The mini binders will be $12. Mini sticker sheets are $3.25 each, but new designs are often offered for $2 on Tuesdays. The mini sheets do count toward the free binder promotion, but the Mini KAD Binders themselves do not (due to shipping).

One thing I do want to add… with the larger binders, I highly recommend using a page lifter, which helps keeps the sticker sheets from curling. This wasn’t an issue in the 1/2″ binders, but it is something I noticed in the 1″ binders I have.

My sticker organization needs a big overhaul – and the larger binders are coming at just the right time. I’m really glad that they’re becoming a permanent part of the KAD collection.

Thanks again to Kristin for sending this to me as a preview!