How I Spent My Finish-Of-Yr Break

Completely happy New Yr, buddies! Very long time, no “see”! I had such an amazing end-of-year break, and even took an extended break than common. It wasn’t actually deliberate, however I felt myself winding down and shedding deal with house-related initiatives about midway by means of December, after which after I wrote my How Did I Do On My 2023 Home Goals? submit, it simply felt like a pure near my running a blog 12 months.

My longer break was unbelievable! I didn’t do even one single home-related mission. I didn’t even give my home-related initiatives a thought. I used to be targeted 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 12 months.

Right here’s how I spent my time over these final two weeks.

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 12 months, we selected Mexican (or in all probability extra Tex-Mex) meals. My mother made a beautiful Tex-Mex-inspired casserole, together with refried beans, Mexican rice, tortillas. However my absolute favourite was a hominy casserole that she made.

Oleo. 😀 That cracks me up. I at all times know that any recipe that my mother has that requires oleo nearly assuredly got here from my grandmother. 😀 Clearly, I’d swap that out for some actual butter. Nevertheless it’s tremendous easy and so scrumptious!

One other favourite recipe from this 12 months is one which I made known as Saltine Cracker Toffee. Have y’all had this superb marvel? I went to a Christmas celebration and this was one of many many desserts, 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, “Effectively, first you line a pan with saltine crackers…” She’s 92 years previous, and I instantly thought, “Oh, poor factor didn’t perceive my query.” 😀

Effectively, she understood simply advantageous! This toffee is made with saltine crackers! I got here dwelling and googled the recipe in order that I might make it for our Christmas meal. And it’s additionally tremendous easy to make and tastes superb. However whereas that recipe says to carry the brown sugar to a boil for 3 minutes, I didn’t do this as a result of my pal, the hostess of the celebration I went to, stated that she solely heats it sufficient to soften the butter and blend the sugar and butter collectively very well. In order that’s what I did. No boiling. And it turned out superb!

I bought into my train routine

I made it some extent to get into an train routine throughout my break, and I bought a lot use out of our dwelling health club! I really feel higher popping out of this vacation season than I ever have prior to now. I bought a lot use out of my rebounder, my rower, and my kettle bell.

I’ll regularly work in the entire different stuff, however for now, at the least I’ve a primary every day routine that I can persist with. I’ve been fairly in line with it over the past couple of weeks, so simply entering into that every day behavior is a big step.

Not solely did I do these issues within the health club, however I additionally began strolling on daily basis. Keep in mind how I advised y’all final 12 months that I’d like to have a strolling monitor in our again yard? A couple of individuals questioned if that’s really one thing I’d use, and I’m right here to inform you that I’d positively use it! I did laps often round our again yard, and each time, I assumed how a lot simpler it will 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 rather more severe about this imaginative and prescient for our again yard that features a strolling path!

I made a ton of jewellery!

My obsession with making necklaces is unquestionably slowing down. I’ve gotten most of it out of my system, however solely as a result of I’ve actually bought the entire beads that I like from JoAnn Materials, Michael’s, and Interest Foyer, and there’s nowhere else to go on this metropolis. I’ve bought a couple of issues from Fireplace Mountain Gems on-line, and I even have an order on the way in which proper now. However I feel it’s far more enjoyable to buy domestically and have the ability to see the entire beads proper there in entrance of me, and contact them, and maintain them. Shopping for on-line isn’t practically as enjoyable for me.

So by the point I began winding down, I had nearly 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 advantageous.

However now that I’ve so many, there’s no method I can match all of those in a drawer. So I’ve been making an attempt to provide you with a storage resolution that makes them straightforward to see. I feel I’ll make one thing utilizing a dowel rod that sits on prime of the counter like this. That method, as soon as we have now our bed room with our wall of IKEA wardrobes, I can simply switch the necklaces onto a shelf in a kind of wardrobes in order that they’re handy, however hidden behind doorways.

However I additionally moved on from doing solely necklaces to creating earrings. I began off making tremendous easy earrings like this. These had been bought as birthstone pendants, and I feel that that is the one for October. It’s not my birthstone, however I can’t move up one thing that pink and tremendous sparkly…

However I rapidly moved on to tougher designs, and discovered that this cluster design is my absolute favourite to make. I like how they appear on as effectively, 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 type. I made these with these iridescent stones. I can’t bear in mind what they’re known as.

These gold nugget cluster earrings had been the primary cluster earrings 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 may see them right here. They’re like clusters of enjoyable and happiness on my ears! 😀 And there are such a lot of colours in there that they’ll go together with so many summer time outfits!

Y’all, I took some severe benefit of on-line gross sales this 12 months. I imply, I turned a buying fanatic. I purchased numerous sneakers, pants, sweaters. I couldn’t cease! These gross sales had been calling me! 😀

Since I’m not a trend blogger, y’all could not now this about me. However I like sneakers a lot!!! If I lacked all self-control, I’d be shopping for 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 one among my prime two favourite manufacturers of sneakers. I want I might purchase all of them, however I caught to those pink (fake) patent leather-based Mary Jane flats, these tri-color lug sole loafers with tassels, and these black (fake) patent leather-based lug sole loafers.

Have I ever advised y’all how a lot I like lug sole loafers?

And I like fairly particulars as effectively, like this silver detailing on the backs of those tri-color loafers.

My second favourite model of sneakers is Keds. Sure, Keds. And I purchased two pairs of Chelsea boots (that are so comfy!), 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. The sneakers within the image beneath are my all-time favourite Keds I’ve ever bought. These colourful embroidered floral sneakers are from about two seasons in the past, and I nonetheless like to put on them. I have to get these cleaned up and prepared for spring!

After which lastly, I bought myself a brand new pair of brown boots with chunky heels.

I nearly 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 bought them for round $50. That’s simply how I store, y’all! 😀 You’ll hardly ever discover me paying full value for something like that. I’m too low-cost for that!

I additionally found a model of denims that really suits me!! I don’t know if any of you’ve gotten the identical downside I’ve, however all of my life, I’d had hassle discovering denims that match me correctly.

Effectively, for some purpose, 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 adverts with movies of girls from varied boutique outfitters raving about their Judy Blue jeans, and these had been ladies of all sizes, which gave me hope. They’re all speaking about how superb they match, how stretchy and comfy they’re, and on and on. So I lastly gave in and acquired some.

Effectively, I can attest that they’re AMAZING!!! I like them a lot that I’m fairly certain 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 adverts. 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, after all!), and their descriptions are very correct so far as sizing. So if you happen to’re like me, and you’ve got hassle discovering denims that match correctly, you may attempt Judy Blue! I nonetheless should hem each pair I get as a result of I’m solely 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 stored getting adverts for this retailer on Instagram. They lastly wore me down, and I ordered one among their $50 cashmere sweaters. This black V-neck Mongolian cashmere sweater was the primary one I ordered.

I liked it SO MUCH, that I ended up shopping for three extra! I now have this sweater in black, navy blue, cream, and crimson. I want they’d make it in patterns! I’d purchase all of them! They’re so delicate and comfy 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 would put a shirt below it, and a blazer over it if you happen to stay in colder areas. I must be clear that I’ve by no means seen something at this on-line retailer go on sale, however their costs are already very cheap for the standard you get. Take a look at their buyer evaluations. On nearly each merchandise I’ve checked out, there are numerous evaluations and a 4.8 or larger ranking.

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, method an excessive amount of on-line buying, 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 somewhat spend my time on different issues. 😀 However sufficient of all of that. Now it’s time to show my consideration again to deal with initiatives and get stuff accomplished! I’m so enthusiastic about what this 12 months has in retailer.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and beautify 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.