Inside Kimmy's Mind

I know it has been a while since the last time I blogged. I have mainly been updating my channel, but I figured I document this. Matt and I bought a house! Our first house, and I am soaring. Aside from being really tired from moving…we still have lots to move, and I am just so excited to get things set up and put in place. This feeling is similar to when I moved into my first apartment with my younger sister Kat. I feel like Matt, and I unlocked another achievement. I’m so excited to make it ours. I hope the cats will get comfortable sooner rather than later. Auggie has already done a lap around the house but Eve is, of course, sulking in her cubby. I doubt she will come around very soon. It will take her much longer to get used to things. She is just so scared of everything. I wish I could offer her a bit of comfort. But there is no making her feel better.

We took this week off so that we could set the house up. It has been a lot of unpacking and even more moving. We did hire movers for the larger stuff. We figured we could handle the other stuff. We have the apartment until the end of July, so we have plenty of time to return the keys. But I’m hoping we can get everything moved over to the house before then.

The house is coming together. I’ll share a house tour as soon as I get more things in place. There are just a few more items I’d like to get.

• coffee table
• end tables
• dressers
• photo frames
• small bedside rugs
• wall shelves for my office
• Ikea pegboard

Ikea is pretty much where Matt and I buy most if not all of our furniture. Our couch is one of the only things that we purchased from Mid In Mod, and I love it. However, my cat has already damaged it a bit, and I’m trying not to let it get to me. So this is the first couch I’ve ever purchase…well, I purchased a sleeper sofa for the guest room, but this couch is the first living room couch I’ve ever purchased, so I would really like it to be nice for a little longer.

Well, that’s all for now. I don’t think many people still follow along on my blog. But that’s ok. I’ve always enjoyed updating my blog as a digital time capsule.

Thanks for reading.

I know the world is in chaos right now. I am praying for everyone, especially those struggling due to this virus. I wanted to post about something more positive so I decided to talk about things I’ve been loving lately. Things that help keep my mind off of current events.

• A5 Galen Leather Folio

This has been one of my favorite purchases lately. I’ve been enjoying using this folio to hold my journal and even use it at work when I go to meetings. It’s the perfect daily carry. I prefer to do most of my journaling at home. It’s a larger size so not always lightweight, and I didn’t think I would like it as much. I’ve been using my TN for four years now, and I still love journaling in it, but I’m so glad I tested out an A5 notebook and then decided to purchase this as my cover. I’ve enjoyed this refillable journaling system. It’s now just so common to find a notebook that has a series of cover options. And so many different sizes to fit everyone’s needs. So if you enjoy smaller journals, you can get a pocket or passport journal. Heck, even nano. There are just so many options and I don’t know about you but I get excited when I find a new system that works for me.

• Hobonichi A6 Planner

This little planner has been so much fun to use. I use it as a journal as well. It’s small, so I put down the things I need to remember but will also jot down a few thoughts. And if I was too busy that day, I usually go back and write something that I remember from that day or add some stickers. Stickers have been such a joy to use in my planner. If a sticker is too large, depending on the design, I can trim it down or put it on a day that was left blank. I already feel like I’ll use this planner again for next year.

• Kaweco Sage Milligram Collaboration

Kaweco was my first fountain pen. I purchased it in mint and now I have 9 Kaweco Sport pens. But this one has to be my favorite! I love it so much. I wasn’t sure where it was from and so I asked the fountain pen subreddit and they were all nice enough to point me in the right direction. It ended up being a Milligram exclusive so I purchased it from Milligram, which is located in Australia. I paired it with Sierra Mist ink and it matches so well. It’s my go-to pen at the moment, but I have been wanting to pick up a good flex nib pen. Any suggestions?

• Fossil Smartwatch

 This ended up being such a great tech item. Having a watch is so handy, and the best thing about this is that it will remain a watch even if the battery is low. At least in my experience, when it has died, it still displays the time for you. It might be a battery saving mode, but it is convenient. And I love how customizable it is. The face, the straps, it’s just fantastic. I’m currently using this olive leather strap.  It was hard to put on the watch but I managed and probably won’t be removing it any time soon.

• Clogs Black and Brown

My friend Jacque got me into clogs. She inspired me to purchase them for my wedding and then I just became obsessed. Now I have three pairs, olive, black and brown. My olive ones will always be my favorite since they have such a wonderful memory attached to them. I will always associate them with my wedding and I hope they will forever last me.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my current favorites. I just wanted to film a video to keep myself busy and what better way than making a video. I have several other videos planned, so stay tuned.

Oh, goodness. It has been awhile since I’ve sat down and typed out a blog entry. I’ve been updating my youtube channel every week though, so if you’re interested in seeing videos about stationery and whatnot head over to my channel.

Now let’s see…

Home: I love being home with Matt. I love waking up next to him and going to sleep next to him. It’s interesting how naturally we became just meshed together.  He went on a two week trip to Korea last month, I missed him so much so I’m happy he’s home now. I slowly got into a rhythm without him but it’s so much better to have him home again. I slept on his side of the bed which was a mistake since it is perfectly formed to his body shape so I had trouble sleeping while he was away. But now that he’s back, I’m sleeping better.

Work: It’s is going well. I have a few events coming up but then August is jammed pack with events. I can’t wait for September! Matt and I both have September birthdays so we will celebrate at the same time, probably somewhere in the middle.

Vacation: I won’t have a vacation until December. I took off a some days so that Matt and I can celebrate Christmas in Florida with his parents. We went over for Thanksgiving last year so I thought we should switch off. I of course have days off for Thanksgiving but I’m taking most of my vacation time in December for the trip.

Hobbies: I already mentioned my channel, I’ve been making videos like crazy! It’s been such a joy, I’m now adding an extra video every other week to my video schedule. We shall see how it works out, I might go back to just one video every week. At the end of this month Mind-Speaks is hosting it’s first ever event! We are celebrating Sailor Moon’s Birthday, there will activities and goodie bags as well as a giveaway. I’m nervous but very excited, I’ll try to post more about it on my blog but I’ll definitely be posting about it on my channel.

Pen pals: I’ve been writing more letters recently. Ever since April, which was National Letter Writing Month, I’ve been enjoying sitting down and just writing out a nice letter. I have a pen pal who I hope turns into a lifelong friend but life sometimes gets busy so I won’t take it personally if she stops writing me.

Family: We celebrated my nieces’ 2nd Birthday last month! I cannot believe she’s already 2 years old, she’s growing up fast. I don’t get to see my family as often as I used to but  I try to talk to them every day if I can. We have some Father’s Day plans coming up so I’m excited. My dad will be retiring soon. I’m so glad that he can finally retire from his dangerous job. Now he can relax, even though I know he won’t be able to for very long. That man always has to be working on something. I hope he learns how to relax once he no longer has to worry about whose lights are out. (He’s a Lineman for a light company- very dangerous job)

Well, that pretty much covers the basics. I’ll try to figure out a schedule for my blog like I did my channel. I still love blogging, I’ve just been enjoying my fountain pens too much. I’ll update again soon.

Thanks for reading!

Hello lovelies! I thought I’d share some things that have me smiling. I still have a collective book haul that I need to make, so look forward to that too.

• Breakfast: I love breakfast foods. However, I don’t usually eat breakfast in the mornings. I guess I’ve always tricked myself into believing that I wasn’t hungry. But Matt is very much a breakfast person not to mention a coffee person. We’ve been indulging a bit too much but I’ve really enjoyed it. But this past weekend he made me breakfast in bed…. I was still half asleep when he presented it to me, but it was one of the most romantic things I’ve ever seen. Scrambled eggs and toast with jam! Swoon! He’s so great!
• Final Fantasy Explorers: Matt and  I both just recently bought this game at Gamestop. I’m so glad we did, because it’s a lot of fun playing games together.
• Kanken Backpack: I bought this backpack a month ago for my weekend trip to Austin back in January. I now must have it in every color!!! Or at least in mint, yellow, and grey….for now. I have it in bright green! This backpack holds so much and just makes me so happy. It’s the perfect backpack. Seriously…perfect.
• Pokémon pin: Target Cartwheel is wonderful. I ended up getting a perk for a free, book, movie or toy..ect. I decided to buy this $16 pack of Pokemon cards just so I can get the extra MegaVenusaur enamel pin. And I got it FREE! Bulbasaur is my favorite pokemon so I needed this.

• Watercolor notebook: I’ll mention this more in a separate blog post. I’ve been wanting to get back into watercoloring. I was never really good at it, it was just something I enjoyed doing. I like having hobbies.
• Casual Cosplay: I’m really excited for this! Matt and I plan on going to Anime Matsuri this year and we’re going to dress up as Gambit and Rogue! These two are my favorite Marvel couple/X-Men. I’m not sure if I can pull off a really good Rogue, which is why I say casual. I’ve never really cosplayed before so I don’t want this to be something I stress over. The con is in April, so I want to get started on this ASAP. Casual, meaning we are just going to try to get key elements of the characters. For Gambit, I’m thinking Matt can get away with a trench coat, black pants, a purple button up, black gloves, and a deck of cards. Perhaps even his staff? For Rogue, I want to make sure to keep her signature yellow and green color scheme. Definitely want to find a brown jacket, yellow gloves, and her streak of white hair. I may even look for some green skinny jeans and some yellow chucks. I also want to get an X-Men belt buckle! I’m still figuring things out. If you have any tips on cosplaying, I’m all ears!
• Music: Elisa from MilkBox mentioned Passion Pit in one of her check in posts. I haven’t been able to get Where the Sky Hangs out of my head for weeks. Oh Wonder’s- Drive and Live Wire has also gotten themselves stuck. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing them in concert. I love duos!

What are you loving at the moment? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

I enjoy the holiday season, the nice cool weather, when we have it, the yummy smelling candles and spending time with family.  But also because I really enjoy making/finding and wrapping gifts for my loved ones. I’d like to think I do a somewhat-good-job at the whole gift giving thing. Sometimes?

I try to anyway. However, there are times when I can’t seem to figure out exactly what to get and this is one of those times. Well, I have something but every time I look at it I get more and more doubtful. The gift I’m speaking about is for a special someone, yup- for he who is known as boyfriend. OK, that was a bit dramatic of me, but it’s still odd for me to even type out. His actual name is Matt and I adore him. He, of course, is great at the whole gift giving thing. He bought me the Cogsworth Funko Pop figurine! (Pictured above) It’s been one of those things I kept meaning to just order online but never got around to it. He just surprised me with it, a thank you for cat sitting his adorable kitties. And then he surprised me with a Pastry Pet that he got on a recent trip to Seattle. Meet Nilla the Mini Donut Cat, made by MarninSaylor. It’s so cute!!! These unexpected gifts make me smile, he makes me smile.  I hope to become as attuned with him and the things he likes as he is with me. I get excited whenever I learn something new about him so I don’t see being unsure about his gift as a bad thing…I just hope he likes it.

That’s all for now…more to gush about next time. I wish you a happy holiday, I’m looking forward to the new year and I hope you are too.

Thanks for reading.

Something new is evolving and I am beyond excited about it. Last weekend, I went on a day trip to Lockhart, Tx with Matt (<3) and his friends. I’m terribly awkward when in a group of strangers but it was a lot of fun and he and his friends are a wonderful group of people.

The reason for the trip was to try out BBQ at several different places because Lockhart apparently has the best BBQ. Now I love food, usually I stuff my face even after I’m full. I don’t recommend doing that. But I have a sensitive stomach and have learned how to take care of it…especially when traveling. I was prepared to hold back and only eat a bit from each place. We hit 3 different places…

1. Smitty’s Market
2. Black’s
3. Kreuz Market

Now, I skipped the third place and only had a bite at the second… I was off my game but was also worried I would destroy…ahem things. TMI. I was playing it safe. Even though I didn’t eat a lot, I still think #1 was extremely delicious. And I liked all of the antique stores that were in the area. We walked around a bit before heading to the third place. It was wonderful. And the area we were exploring reminded me a bit of Stars Hallow or the kind of feeling I imagine Stars Hallow would have.

I sort of wish I bought something from one of the stores we explored, but nothing called out to me. But I did manage to snap a few pretty photo souvenirs. One of the most magical coincidences is that Abby, a now new friend, has been on a quest to find an antique compact mirror. Which brought up the chance for me to mention my compact that my mother had given me while I was in high school. It’s a silver compact with an embossed design on it. And there in the store, snuggled under other compacts, just happened to be the same compact! This one was engraved with initials and in much better condition than mine. I really wish I knew the brand of compact and a bit more about it’s history. It was my grandmother’s beforehand, and I just loved the idea of owning something that was handed down. I hope it lasts long enough to continue being handed down. Abby bought it along with two other compacts, should I ever come across the same compact, I might end up buying it. But what are the odds of finding another one, who knows?

We walked around a cemetery before hitting the 3rd place but Matt and I skipped out on eating anything from there. Next time, we will have to start there so as to actually get a chance to try the food. It’s been wonderful getting to know him and I’m looking forward to continue getting to know him and spending time with him as often as I can. 🙂 That’s all for now, expect more gushing next time. And hopefully I’ll actually get up the courage and ask him to take an actual selfie with me. I was too nervous/embarrassed to ask.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Wanted to film a Plan with Me video for this week. I added just a few things that I knew I had to do but obviously if more things occur I plan as the week goes on. For the most part, work is the only thing I can really plan ahead since  I know my work schedule by the end of the previous one. I have a few other videos planned for this week but didn’t think about it until after I filmed this video, so that’s why they aren’t there. Bare with me, I am terrible at planning out videos.

After I had written out the few things I knew would happen this week, I decided to make the end of the video just a montage of some planner supplies. Mainly, these Memento Dew Drop inks that I have fallen in love with. I’m a sucker for colorful things, and these are perfect for stamping my planner pages. Anyway, I’ve been thinking of some other videos to film and upload so stay tuned for some book and non-book related videos!

Thanks for reading and watching

Another video!!! I’m still trying to figure out how to edit using Movie Maker, it’s not the greatest of programs but I manage.  I remember older versions allowing more freedom than this windows 8 version. The sound gets a bit low in some areas but luckily it doesn’t really happen until the end.

Books that I mention in the video:

• Coraline by Neil Gaiman illustrated by P. Craig Russell (graphic novel)
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman illustrated by Dave McKean
• Mirrormask by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
• Slog’s Dad by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean
• The Unruly Alphabet by Aaron McKinney
• IRL by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
• Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
• Jinchalo by Matthew Forsythe

I’m pretty picky when it comes to art styles, and I might have been a bit harsh when it came to P. Craig Russell’s style of art.  It’s just not the type of style I like. My tastes rage from super cute and colorful to gritty and a bit creepy. It might be the way it’s colored, so it might be the colorists fault for why it doesn’t sit well with me. But don’t let my opinion change yours, this is just my opinion and tastes.

I’m thinking of making this a series, we shall see.

Thanks for reading

My mantra. 

I made this bracelet at the beginning of January to inspire myself when I was feeling less than shiny. And it’s not like I need this as a way to force myself to be happy. I am a very happy person, I love my life and  I love being me. I bought it, a long with a charm with the letter “K” on it,  because I’ve always loved the letter “K”, so they jingle next to each other and it’s just, well… nice.

Valentine’s Day was yesterday,  and I spoiled myself quite a bit.

First: Every Day by David Levithan

I don’t really want to go into too much detail about this book, because I will probably type up a review once I finish reading it. But I’ll leave you with this. It’s what made me want to read it in the first place. The sequel came out as well, technically it’s not a sequel, it’s the same story but from a different perspective.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

Second: Stablio Markers

We just got this new 30 pack in at Paper Source, I hesitated at first but then I decided to gift them to myself for Valentine’s. I am so glad that I did too, because I just love having that many color options. You can never have too many marker pens, and again!!! Colors!!!

Third: This new A+ bag!

 There’s a zipper compartment in the flap, which I love, was hoping to get it in brown, but bags and wallets were on sale at Target so most of them were gone. 20% off! But I’m loving it.

That’s my mini haul for you, there are a ton of things on my wish list of things I’d love to buy, but I spoiled myself enough for already for quite some time. I’m so spoiled!!! But Happy Valentine’s to me and to you as well!

 To finish up the holiday, I cooked myself a very delicious dinner. Beef teriyaki, it was very good, if I do say so myself. I might have let the meat get a bit chewy, but all in all, still a win in my book. Even though I didn’t have a romantic Valentine’s this year, I don’t see the need in being sad about it.  I still like this holiday, and working at a store like Paper Source, where I’m surrounded by lovey dovey things all the time, it’s sort of hard to hate this commercialized holiday. Plus, the decorations and cards are really cute. I never put that huge of a focus on it even when I was in a relationship, so  I don’t see the need to hate it now that I am single. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, I hope your day, your week and the months to come are filled with love!!!

Thanks for reading

I finally got my printer to print wirelessly once again! Yes, this might seem like such a small thing, but it has taken me forever to get this stupid printer to print via wifi and I finally figured it out.

Excited for no reason, but I like knowing I can print from my couch or from my desk without having to plug the printer into my laptop. Nice feeling. I’m such a loser…I know. -.- Aside from that excitement, I’ve been working a lot. So far, every weekend for the next few weeks are booked with parties.

Last Saturday, one of the guests told me they could tell how much I enjoy my job and that I did a great job with the party. It’s always nice to know when you’re doing a great job. Made my day. :3 I always feel awkward when people I meet at work compliment me. When I work at Paper Source, I get compliments on what I wear or how I do my hair. And those types of compliments are always nice to hear, but I get really excited when it’s based on my work ethic. Go me!!!

School has been crazy and hard. But other aspects of life have been beyond great. I don’t want to jinx anything in any of those areas, but I applied for this job and it’s perfect. I hope I get called in for an interview and then I hope they choose me!!!! Here’s hoping.

… continue reading this entry.