Inside Kimmy's Mind

Vera Rose Robertson turns 1 today! My adorable, hilarious, and beautiful niece turns 1! She turned 1, I cannot believe she’s 1! Ok, I’ve said 1 enough.

We celebrated her birthday on Sunday, I didn’t take any pictures on my cell, I was in charge of using the big camera so all the proof…including a video of her vomiting after trying icing. Not full on barf, but she was definitely gagging after trying it. She’s never had sugar before so I guess it was too sweet for her. I felt bad, because I was the one who put the icing on her lips. >.< Sorry Vera. Her party was Moana themed! I love this movie so much, I’m constantly singing the songs, can’t get enough of the soundtrack. Vera only perks up during the songs, she doesn’t seem to pay attention to the rest of the movie.

She’s grown so fast and I can’t believe what a funny little person she’s morphing into and I can’t wait to see how her personality develops as she continues to grow. I love her so much!

Here’s to you my little Vera Rose <3.
When you’re old enough, you’re getting a dinosaur party at the museum and tons of summers away for Science Camp!

 

There are a ton of things that make me happy. Today I’d like to mention something that really brings a smile to my face. Stationery!!!

I recently just purchased a ZenPop box from Japan. I haven’t received it yet but I cannot wait to get it! They give you plenty of peeks into the items you are getting which I am a huge fan of. I like knowing what I’m getting, but having a few surprises is nice too.

They have different themes each month, I purchased the Animal Friends pack? They are including kitty washi tape so I was sold! I also chose this box because it wasn’t something you actually had to subscribe to. You purchase them monthly. I don’t like having to remember to unsub because some monthly sub boxes aren’t always a hit. I’m sure it’s hard when it comes to putting one together and figuring out what to put in it and whatnot but I guess it depends on the type. A stationery box is perfect for me, a book one, where the book is kept hidden…not so much.

And ZenPop isn’t simply a stationery it’s a Japanese stationery box! Another reason why I just signed up for this month’s box. There’s a Sailor Moon pen included and I just had to say yes. This box includes 12 items! And the price is $29.50 FREE shipping! Not too expensive, but not too cheap either. And for exciting news! ZenPop has decided to do a giveaway where you could win one of their past boxes and I would love to win! But I also have a feeling I will be a repeat customer of future boxes. If you’re a stationery addict, then I think this is the box for you.

There’s also a food, and beauty box too, so if you’re not into stationery perhaps those interest you more? I have a list of online sub boxes that I want to try out, so I’ll probably update about that more later. What kind of sub box are you more interested in?

Thanks for reading!

 

Goodness, time has gotten away from me and I realized I never did update about my final days of my yoga challenge. Sadly, I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. BUT! I still had a lot of fun and I want to input a daily yoga routine into my schedule. Somehow.

I only managed to complete 8/30 days of yoga. That’s right, 8… -.- My goal was to do at least half, but some days just needed to be skipped. Lack of motivation, tired, hungry,… or to put it simply, I was flat out lazy. I had dedicated Tuesdays as being the days I would go, since I enjoyed the instructor. But it would be rainy, or work was extra tiring, or something. Excuses, I know. Having my friend go with me, was definitely a plus, but then we easily would want to just go home and rest.

My downfall, was also, somewhere along the way it turned into a chore, but only slightly. Because it was still something I enjoyed doing. I created this challenge for myself in hopes of creating a sense of motivation. I started off strong, but then fell flat as after the first week or so. I’m curious, how do I have the energy to maintain other aspects of my life but didn’t have the same for this challenge? Was it because this was a more active activity compared to painting or blogging? Most of my hobbies are done in the comfort of my home where I can sit or even lay down while doing them. I wish I had the determination to finish a bit stronger, but still, 8 days is still nice. I hadn’t gone to yoga in quite some time so it was fun getting back into it. And just because the challenge is over, does not mean I won’t ever touch my yoga mat again. No, I hope to visit the studio once in awhile and continue doing my stretches at home. Now, will I have the motivation for that? Probably not, but if I can squeeze it in here and there, I’m happy.

When I can get another 30 Day’s, I plan to try it out again. And hopefully, accomplish more than just 8. What about you, how do you find motivation?

Thanks for reading.

I finally bought myself a real leather Traveler’s Notebook. I wanted a cheaper alternative rather than buying the more pricey and popular Midori…I believe it’s just Traveler’s Company now though. I purchased the Robrasim Pocket sized Traveler’s Notebook in the color coffee and it’s adorable.

I first purchased my Webster’s Pages Color Crush Traveler’s Notebook because it was a bit more affordable, and I really liked the pockets that the Color Crush offered. Bought it in the color mint, even though they have a ton of new colors lately, I’m happy with it. I decided I wanted a passport sized TN and so I searched through Youtube and then I searched through Amazon. I found Robrasim and decided to give them a chance. Aside from them taking awhile to ship it, it still arrived fairly quick, but I didn’t do too much research on the company.  I don’t think I’ll be using this for in depth journaling, but I’m excited to see how I end up using it. Below you’ll find a video review, I might go on for a tad too long, but believe me, it was even longer than that. I like to talk. 🙂 So if you’re interested, feel free to watch that below.

… continue reading this entry.

Here’s the second video in my Monthly Moments series. April went by fast and now here we are in May…busy May .

I have quite a lot of things happening this month, work things and non-work things. Things I’m sort of dreading and things I’m excited for, so it makes the things I don’t really want to do more bearable.  Positive vibes here!!

Here’s a list of things happening in May!

• May the Fourth Be With You: Mixers & Elixirs (PM Work Event)
• Cinco De Mayo (Gathering with Matt’s friends)
• 5.6.17 – Free Comic Book Day, Japanese Festival, Star Wars Art Festival…I think that’s all. w/Matt <3
• 5.7.17 – Guardians of the Galaxy w/Matt <3
• 5.12.17 – Dynamo Game w/Matt <3
• 5.13.17 – 2nd Saturday (AM Work Event)
• 5.13.17 – JMP Friend’s game night
• 5.14.17 – Celebrate Mother’s Day!!!
• 5.16.17 – Bullet Journal Workshop
• 5.18.17 – Alien: Covenant  w/Matt <3
• 5.19.17 – Member’s Night (PM Work Event)
• 5.21.17 – My niece’s 1st Birthday party!!! <3
• 5.25.17 – Steering Committee Meeting (PM Work Event)
• 5.26.17 – 5.29.17 : Austin Trip with sisters! + Kat’s Birthday!!!
• 5.31.17 – Senior Social (AM Work Event)

I think that’s all of it. I may add or cross things off this list as time goes on, but for now….busy, busy, month.

Whether you’re busy or not, how does your month look? 🙂

Thanks for reading ♥

 

I was so nervous, but I finally had the chance to meet Matt’s parents a couple weekends ago. Matt, calm as usual, kept telling me I had nothing to worry about. And he was right, I had nothing to worry about. They all made me feel very welcomed.

I went with Matt to pick up his parents from the airport.( First time near an airport) That’s right, I’ve never been on a plan. Hopefully, I’ll change that this year. Anyway, we waited for them and then they came and greeted me with open arms. We had dinner at Star Pizza and just talked and laughed. They were so great and reminded me of my parents. His dad would make some jokes, again, reminding me of my own dad. Then we ended the night with some ice cream ( I had Cream Soda- and I’ve been craving it ever since).

The next morning, I drove to Matt’s place where the four of us walked to Biscuit Junkie for breakfast. I had avocado on poached eggs and biscuits. It was pretty yummy. And from there we headed off to Galveston to meet up with more of his family. I met his uncle and cousins, and his grandparents. Again, I was welcomed with open arms and was treated as part of the family. It was lovely. His uncle rented a house on the water and it was gorgeous. I haven’t been to Galveston in years so I was quite surprised. I was reminded that Moody Gardens is in Galveston and now it’s definitely on my list of things to do this year. I think the last time I visited was during a school field trip back in the 8th grade…if I remember correctly. Disney World is still a huge thing I would like to do this year, I’m told before Christmas is the best time to go, and Matt just so happens to be from Florida so a visit there and a visit to his parents would be lovely. I’m just so happy that meeting them went well. It’s interesting to meet the people responsible for the person I love. He resembles both parents, having more of his mother’s features with a dash of his father’s and his added mannerisms. But Matt is much more mellow than his father. But Matt is pretty much more mellow than anyone really.  I haven’t had a chance to meet his younger brother yet, but hopefully I’ll be able to do so soon.

When we finally go to the beach house, we talked and colored with his cousins, then ate some burgers and just enjoyed the view on the water. We played some ping pong, and watched a movie, and then his father wanted to take photos of the sunset. We said our goodbyes and made plans to have dinner the next night. I also offered them museum tickets since they were coming into Houston for the day. We had dinner at Goode Company’s BBQ, and then I suggested we walk around Rice Village so his cousins could do some shopping while his parent’s joined us at Half Price. We later all met up at this crepe shop and had coffee and dessert. It was a great evening and I’m so glad that he introduced me to them. I look forward to spending time with them again.

I hope you are having a great week, and I hope your weekend is filled with fun. If you’re worrying about something, my advice to you is, worry not. Don’t over worry and just do your best in whatever it is. You’re probably like me and worrying for no reason. Just smile, eat some yummy food and blog on. <3

Thanks for reading.

Quite a few lovely things have happened in the past week/weekend. And I’m just so grateful to be where I am in life.

Last Wednesday, my sister Kat and I got to see Tennis in concert at the White Oak House Music Hall. I LOVE this band and I didn’t even notice when their tour was announced or that Houston was on the tour list to begin with. But I thankfully I found out just in time to order tickets. It was a sold out show so I’m glad I was impulsive. Normally, I don’t really do any research on the opening act, so I didn’t pay much attention but I was pleasantly surprised. The Greeting Committee had such a great energy and you could really tell they loved making music. I liked their sound and they were so approachable even nice enough to sign the CD I bought and let me take a photo with them. (Minus one member)

Concerts aren’t something I normally attend, but Kat and I have made some very slow improvements in that area. For more rowdy bands, I prefer standing in the back but for smaller venues and slower rock bands I don’t mind, and Kat and I got spots upfront this time. I think all of the concerts I’ve attended in the past year or so she has accompanied me. Thank goodness because she makes it much more fun. Thanks Kat for coming with me!!! With her new work schedule, planning things like this is somewhat impossible. But luckily, she was able to come with me. I had a lot fun and I hope to see both bands again some day.

Do you like going to concerts, if so, do you enjoy getting a spot upfront or do you prefer standing in the back? I’d love to hear about your concert going experiences. 🙂

Thanks for reading

I’ve been using this pocket size Moleskine for some daily planning and reflecting. I’ve actually liked using it as a daily journal and it has inspired me to also begin daily journaling in my Travelers Notebook as well.

I usually use it for work during the work week however, I may try to use it as an organizational tool once I finish using the pocket notebook. I’ve already purchased a medium size Moleskine and a larger one for specifically for work projects. Now, the world of Bullet Journals is vast and a bit overwhelming, however I’ve really enjoyed watching how others setup theirs. I’m not sure if I can follow the true Bullet Journaling way but I’m figuring out a good mix. I really hope this will just be a way I can also practice my handwriting. I don’t like it very much and I would like to improve, perhaps even tackle some calligraphy or lettering.

There’s so much to consider when starting a bullet journal, for instance the notebook you use. Obviously you can use any notebook you like, that’s the point. It’s supposed to be a way to easily organize your daily tasks and it’s much more fun when you get to personalize the notebook you are using. I decided on Moleskine. One because I already had one, and decided to keep on using it. I now have the same blueish teal color in the pocket, Medium and large notebooks. The large one is for work, the pocket is my personal one and then when I’m done with that one I will switch over to the medium size notebook. I’m ready for that! I decided to stick with the soft cover Moleskines. But the medium size one is dotted, which I prefer rather than ruled.

Pens I use…

• Sharpie pens
• Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens
• Marvy  Color In Marker
• Stabilo markers
• Inkjoy Paper Mate Gel Pens

I have just purchased some Tombow markers in pastel so I’m looking forward to learning some lettering techniques. I don’t know how good I’ll be at lettering but I want to practice it. Once I switch over I’ll share the way I want to start using it. For my work one, I’m using it to keep track of my projects and meeting notes. I want this to be a way for me to work on my penmanship in general. I hate my messy chicken scratch handwriting. Hopefully, I can train myself to be less sloppy.

Do you like keeping a handwritten journal or is blogging much more your speed? And if you’ve tried out Bullet Journaling, what sort of spreads do you enjoy?

Thanks for reading!

 

I’m starting this new thing where I film moments during the month and then just piece it together in a montage style vlog. I did not film enough during the month of March but I decided to make one with the shots I did take. It’s really short but I think it’s nice and a great way to look back on the month. I’ve started off strong in April so far, here’s hoping I can keep up with and make the videos the way I imagine them.

Thanks for reading and watching

Portrait Revolution by Julia L. Kay

My favorite thing about art books, aside from making interesting reading material/making a drab coffee table all pretty, is the inspiration they ignite. Even though  I’m not actually an artist in the traditional sense of the word, I enjoy art and dabbling in it. And  I love the way this book showcases different styles and mediums. Making it easy to get inspired by all styles, yet also figuring out the style you might personally prefer.

For me it was definitely the watercolor medium. I love the way watercolor translate to paper and seeing the different techniques. Like with all art, there are so many you can try. It’s also interesting to see how, within each style, lines translate to form a full portrait. Or how the capture each person’s face.

I was excited for this book, but ultimately, I feel it might have been wasted on me. I didn’t test out any of the techniques myself,  so I can’t really speak of the tips and tricks this book goes over, but it did make me want to create in general.  The perfect inspiration for any artist, so this book made a great gift for my artist brother. He’s always in need of inspiration so I’m hoping this book was able to motivate him. Still, even though I didn’t keep it for very long, I still enjoyed being inspired by it and feeling my creative juices flowing.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.