This Guy!

Jeffrey turned the big 3-1 Saturday! I cannot believe he is into his thirties, gasp! That means I am turning thirty in 10 months, eehhhhh. I asked Jeffrey how he felt and his response was, "the same". Typical man!

Thirty treated Jeffrey very well, I cannot wait to see what thirty-one has in store. To celebrate my amazing, hard-working hunk of a husband, we started our day with coconut pancakes. YUM!

Then we met up with friends and brew hopped Charleston. I mean, look at this view from Charleston Beer Works!!! We literally live in vacation.

After that, we went to Queology on East Bay in Charleston. Y'all, Charleston has the BEST food. This was the best BBQ and the staff was amazing. We got four FREE apple-cider shots for the entire table of eight. Happy Birthday Jeff!

After a very entertaining and delicious dinner, we headed over to Escape in 60, Davy Jones Locker! Again, we broke the record and escaped in 32 minutes! We did have 4 engineers and 3 Georgia Tech graduates so we had a slight *major* advantage!

How do you like to celebrate birthdays? 

Friday Favorites

Currently...

#1: Eating: Gluten Free Chicken Soup
I caught the nasty stomach bug that is going around. I thought I had escaped the sickness, but yesterday around noon the bug got me. Since Jeffrey is in Kansas I had to be "adult sick". Let me tell you, there is nothing worse then being sick and alone. Since a trip to the grocery store was out of the question, I decided to throw carrots, peas, and a ton of chicken stock and broth into my crock pot and nap on the couch. Y'all, it actually tasted really good! The soup was so warm and yummy. The best part? I actually kept it down!!! Now, that's a win in my book!

#2: Using: Essential Oils
My favorite oil this week is peppermint! Once the stomach bug hit me, I took peppermint capsule and rubbed peppermint on my stomach. The oil cooled and soothed my stomach almost instantly.

#3: Making: Smoothies
My smoothie this week has been a chocolate mocha! It is so delicious.

Chocolate Mocha Smoothie

8 oz. coffee

1 scoop of Juice Plus chocolate protein powder

12 oz. coconut milk (non-dairy)

dash of cinnamon 

#4: Watching: Marvel's Jessica Jones
Since I have been home, I have been binge watching Netflix. I stumbled across this show and it is actually pretty good. It is about a girl who is a Private Investigator who has a very dark past. She was abducted by a man who she presumed dead, but she is now realizing he is alive and is back at his old game. Although this is a great show, I will totally be binge watching FULLER HOUSE all weekend! Who else is excited????

#5: Confessing: 
I had a really boring week. Truth: there is pile of laundry a mile high on my floor, my kitchen is a mess, and I was sick for 1/2 the week. On a positive note, my Netflix shows have been on point!!!!

Happy Friday!

What are you currently loving?

Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean

I am a clean-freak, neat-freak... heck I am a freak that likes things clean and organized. Since we have all discovered I have an obsession with cleaning, lets talk about cleaning supplies. I love a great all purpose cleaner! There is something about the smell and ability to remove grime that gets me every time.

Most cleaners are FULL of harmful chemicals and can actually harm you or your loved ones. I began using all natural, organic plant based cleaning supplies about two years ago and I am never looking back. These items work better, smell better, last longer, and are not harmful. WIN-WIN! I would love to wash my dishes, clothes, and entire house with these organic supplies, but it does get expensive. I have researched making my own, but lets be honest, ain't nobody got time for dat!!

The other day while I was searching for all natural cleaning products I stumbled across ePantry. This website has any and every all-natural, organic cleaning home-good product you could ever image. You can also schedule for monthly or bi-monthly shipments. Everything is sold cheaper then anywhere I have seen and they ship free.

I ordered Mrs. Meyers cleaners and Seventh Generation dishwasher and washer products. I ordered over ten items and I paid less then $35.00! That is amazing. This neat-freak is one happy girl. 

I am all about skipping the store, paying less and having amazing products sent to my doorstep free! If you love all-natural products I highly recommend this site. Use this link to order now!

What cleaning brands and products do you love?

Bark Box

Let's talk about Bark Box. This is a company that delivers a box of goodies each month to your dog. They normally have two toys, two bags/boxes of treats, and one bone. I was hesitant at first because I was worried the boxes would not be good. I tried Birtchbox and I hated it. I was paying to clutter my drawers.

Well, this Christmas when we realized we were terrible parents and got nothing for Roxie we scrabbled and ordered Bark Box for 6 months.

WE HIT THE JACKPOT! We love it and Roxie is overjoyed every time we open her box. The box is themed so all the treats and toys match whatever the theme is and it's so cute. Roxie absolutely loves the treats and they are full size bags. She has yet to finish her January treats and it's almost March! The themes are precious too!

December- New York City theme
January- Hippie theme
February- Chinese New Year theme

The toys are great too. Roxie usually destroys her toys in 5 seconds and never touches them again. With Bark Box, I find her cherishing her toys. It's so strange. She will walk around the house with them. Get this, she hasn't destroyed a single one and she plays with them all the time. WHAT!?!

Jeffrey and I are going to totally buy a year supply when her 6 month boxes run out.

What toys does your dog love to play with?

Friday Five

#1: Reading: Girl on the Train. 
This is such a great book. I am about half way through and I have trouble putting it down. I am hoping to finish it on our trip to Georgia this weekend.

#2: Loving: Tory Burch "Miller" Sandals
I have been eyeing these Summertime beauties. They are on my "to get" for Summer list.

#3: Listening: Garth Brooks.
Jeffrey and I went to the Garth Brooks concert last weekend and it was AMAZING! I have been listening to him and other country songs on repeat for a week now!

#4: Drinking: Smoothies.
I have been obsessed with our ninja blinder. My current favorite smoothie takes like a cinnamon roll and is actually really healthy!
-coconut milk (non-dairy)
-vanilla protein powder
-cinnamon
-splash vanilla extract

#5: Enjoying: Spending time with these two!
My sister-in-law came to spend the week with me and we have had a blast. I adore her fun-loving spirit.

What are you currently loving?

Why Dogs are Stressful

I am a first grade teacher, so one would think that I would be well equipped to handle stressful situations. Excuse me while I laugh, hahaha, yeah right! I melt like Olaf during a heat wave (like my 1st grade humor?). My question is: How do you mom's do it? I freak out over my dog!!!

Last week, my sweet dog Roxie woke me up at 4:00 am having mini-seizures. I cried shaking and  stroking her for 20-30 minutes until they finally stopped. All I could say was, "It's okay!". I called Jeffrey, while he was in Kansas. After he assured me that it was indeed 3:00 am his time, he immediately told me to take a video. A video! What a genius idea. I am so glad I have a calm, level-headed husband. Me at 4:00 am was a hot-mess!

This video was exactly the right thing to do. We emailed this video to our vet and some veterinarian friends who in-turn emailed it out to their friends. Vets all over Charleston were watching poor Roxie and discussing a diagnosis.

Instead of taking her to the vet and running circles, we were instantly refereed to a neurologist. Do you know how much time and money this saved? A LOT!

Our amazing veterinarian-neurologist believes Roxie was having side effects from her heart-worm medication, Trifexus. Apparently this is common in adult dogs who take this (gee thanks, Trifexus). Needless to say she is now on heart-guard.

Lesson from this terrifying moment, always take a video during a stressful situation. I am investing in a GoPro that documents my life. It is much easier to show someone then to try and explain it.

I am so glad my sweet pup is feeling better. After a traumatizing experience, I am pretty sure I deserve this adorable mug..right!?! You can find this and other cute mugs here. 

I leave you with this video of my sweet baby excited for a walk. I like this one much better. Roxie, please do your poor stressed out mom a favor, don't have any more seizures... Thanks!

Blogger's Gift Exchange!

I love Holidays! I love National Coffee Day, Christmas, Grandparents Day, and Valentine's Day. I love them all. As a first grade teacher I feel like it is my duty to make every holiday special and fun. To make this Valentine's holiday even more special, I signed up to join a Blogger gift exchange. IT WAS SO FUN!

We were paired up with another blogger and the gifting began. There was a wish list and a place to ask anonymous questions. It was so fun getting to know someone new and have someone ask you questions as well.

My blogger loved reading so I wanted to get her a book. She wished for Amy Poehler's "Yes Please!" biography. This is one of my favorites so I knew this was a must! I packed her box with Ghirardelli's  brownie mix, her new fabulous book, and a Big Bang Theory card I made on the Silhouette.

I popped it in the mail and waited on pins and needles for my box to arrive. When I saw the email that my box had shipped, you would think I was a kid at Christmas! After all, my love languages are gift giving and words of affirmation. Basically, the way to my heart is to give me something and tell me how great I am. I am so excited to see what arrives!!!!!

Here is the blogger exchange I participated in. Feel free to scroll through my wishlist, I thought long and hard about these items!

Elfster.com - Secret Santa | Wishlists | Social Gift Giving

Have you ever done a virtual gift exchange? How did you like it and would you do it again?

Friday Five!

CURRENTLY...

Favorite Picture:
This is me as Sandy in Grease 12 years ago! Wow, I have changed a lot, Praise the Lord! Check out a post about this blast from the past here.  

Favorite Dress:
I am craving Summer and warmer weather. This dress from LOFT spoke to me this week as a must have. I mean how perfect is this back?

Favorite Dessert:
It doesn't look very appetizing, but I am here to tell you, this peanut butter dark chocolate cake from  Carmelos is to die for. It is soooo rich and amazing. Although, I will need to walk an extra 10,000 steps to burn it off.  #worthit

Favorite Drink:
I ordered an espresso martini the other night and it was delicious. I love big, bold flavors and this was perfectly big and bold. Others ordered "Drunken Shakes" and raved about them too. Basically you should visit Carmelos.

Favorite Valentine's Wish List Item:
If you haven't noticed yet, I am obsessed with Tory Burch! Her shoes are so comfy and classic. 

What are some of your current favorites?

21 Answers to the Questions You Got!!!

My dog is so cool!

1. Are you named after anyone? My mom heard my name being called at a flea-market and she loved it so much she named me Kelsey. So thanks random girl! 
2. When was the last time you cried? Last week because I got overwhelmed...story of this perfectionists life!
3. Do you have kids? I have a fur-child named Roxie, no human babies yet.
4. If you were another person would you be a friend of yourself? I think so – I like to think I am a caring person who likes to laugh and have fun.
5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Sometimes.
6. Will you ever bungee-jump? NO, way to hardcore for me.
7. What’s your favorite cereal? Since I have cileacs this is hard for me. Honey Nut Cheerios just came out with a GF brand and I tried that last week and it was amazing!
8. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Their humor 
9. What is your eye color? My eyes are blue.
10. Scary movie or happy ending? HAPPY! I am such a poor, innocent soul who always gets scared so easily.
11. Favorite smells? vanilla, cookies baking, and matches after you blow them out. 
12. Computer or television? Computer while I am half watching television.
13. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? To date, San Francisco California, but Jeffrey and I have a trip to Ireland and London planned for this September!!!
14. Do you have any special talents? Musical Theater! I have a really great voice, comic relief, and I can dance to a beat! whoop-whoop!
15. Where were you born? Atlanta, Georgia
16. What are your hobbies? Singing, dancing, shopping, fashion, reading, hiking, pilates, and going to the beach.
17. Summer or winter? SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!
18. Do you have any pets? My sweet Roxie Roo!
19. Favorite movie? Elf and Pitch Perfect!
20. Do you have any siblings? I have a younger brother, whom looks way older, named Tyler.
21. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Hahaha! Since I am 29, I think I am grown-up....maybe? I am a first grade teacher (full time) and photography client manager (part-time). I LOVE what I do, I can't image being without kiddos. I guess one thing I would like to accomplish is being a mom, but I am in no hurry. I am enjoying being young and adventurous while I still can. 

Special Thanks to Caitlin from, Confessions of a Northern Belle for tagging me. Let's have Emily and Meg play along too! 

My firsties and I reminding ourselves to have "B-attitudes"

I am "me" when I am outside!

LOVE a good Adventure!

I love gifts that involve "doing something" or going somewhere. Jeffrey and I are trying to give more gifts where we travel or do a fun activity. 

Here are my top 5 activities for a fun Valentines date:

#1: Take a cooking class! 
How fun would this be to fumble through a three-course meal together?

#2: Go on a Mountain getaway.
I love renting cabins in the mountains and relaxing for a few days. This is a great way to recharge and "get romantic". You can visit a local winery and enjoy a bottle back at your cabin by the fire or in the hot tub. This is perfection!

#3: Go to a comedy club.
There are improve groups everywhere. They are so funny and will put you in a good mood. Jeffrey and I find ourselves quoting sayings from improve skits we saw years ago.

#4: Go to a dessert bar:
I love sweets and really enjoy sitting with Jeffrey eating and enjoying a cocktail.

#5: Take dancing lessons:
I have always wanted to do this with Jeffrey. My girls bible study took Salsa Lessons and we had a blast.

I would love suggestions, what is your favorite date?

Escape in 60!

Last weekend, we went to the new "Escape 60" challenge in Charleston. We were put in a room with clues and had to figure them out to escape in 60 minutes or less. Each clue led to another clue and so on and so forth.

The clues were really hard and caused us to really critically think. I felt like I was on an episode of CSI and it was amazing! We were solving clues and running around like the best detectives you have ever seen.

Ya'll I even solved some clues all by myself, high-five, me! I don't want to give any clues away because I really recommend trying one of these yourself.

We escaped and solved the "mystery" in under 40 minutes. The owners told us we broke two records! We were the fastest group they have had and have been the only group that didn't ask for clues. I guess that's what you get when you take two Georgia Tech graduates and four engineers!

Once you have escaped, I highly recommend a desert bar where you order the richest, chocolate anything and enjoy an espresso cocktail! I promise, you will not regret it.

If you have a chance, go lock yourself in an escape room and see if you can beat our time without any clues... I dare you!