Author Archives: kellynotkatie

The BEST Desserts to Make Today!

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One thing that I kind of hate about my townhouse is the oven. (Good thing I’m moving in a couple of days- hah!) It is just… terrible. It NEVER heats up all the way and is wildly inconsistent, even when using an oven thermometer! It’s just gotten worse and worse over the last year, but since “it still heats” the property management company wouldn’t replace it. Which yes, technically makes sense, but also I ruined not one but TWO attempted desserts over the last few months because the oven temp was just so out of whack, so I really just decided I should stop baking until I move.

So naturally since I “can’t” bake at the moment, THAT IS ALL I WANT TO DO! I was going through some recipes that I’ve made trying to decide what one I wanted to make as soon as I move into the house, and I thought that I should share them with you all! These are seriously some of the most delicious things ever and I highly recommend making them!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

These bad boys are SO DELICIOUS. I have no idea why but I was seriously craving some of these a few months ago, so I decided to find the ultimate recipe to become my go-to. This was the second recipe that I tried and I just decided to stop with this one because it’s so good! They’re super hard to mess up and they come out so chewy and delicious!

Extra Gooey Rice Krispies Treats

These are a CROWD PLEASER! I usually add a little bit less rice krispies cereal when I’m making normal rice krispies treats because I like them to be gooier, but this recipe takes care of that for you. The extra marshmallows you use just give it the best texture and the best taste and yes I know that you don’t need to bake these in the oven and therefore I could make them now but also if I made them now I would just eat them all, so…

Black and White Cookies

Oh man. These are time consuming but they are worth the effort! I would say that they’re not for a beginning baker, but I still think you should all try to make them, anyway! My favorite part is the white icing – it reminds me of these cookies we used to get at the local bakery in the town I grew up in… I miss those bear cookies… but anyway, when you do make these, be sure to put the icing on the flat bottom part of the cookie! That’s what makes them seem authentic!

Sugar Cookie Bars

This, sadly, was one of the recipes that got RUINED by my oven. I’ve made these very successfully a few times before, but this time they just got burned to a crisp. Like, I couldn’t even get them out of the pan they were so solid! The frosting is definitely the best part (that’s always true tho for me) and I always like to put fun food coloring in the frosting! These are easy to share since they’re in bar form… I might have to make these my test recipe and then bring the results to work!

Peanut Butter Cookies

This has been my go-to peanut butter cookie recipe for YEARS! They come out of the oven so chewy and soft and amazing! At first it seemed weird to not do the fork imprints on a peanut butter cookie because everyone knows that’s what you’re supposed to do on a peanut butter cookie but nope these are LEGIT the best. Ok I’ve changed my mind, THESE might have to be the things I bake first!

Sprinkled Sugar Cookies

The perfect recipe when you have sprinkles to use up! These are so festive and fun and make the perfect amount to share with a few friends. They’re so soft but the sprinkles add the perfect crunch – it’s just a really lovely cookie!

Now that I’ve shared some of mine, I want to hear some of yours! What’s your favorite baked good, your ride or die treat, your most trusted recipe?

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10 Instagram Accounts You Should Follow ASAP

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One thing that I’ve been trying to really crack down on for myself is phone time. And by phone time I clearly mean time spent on social media. I don’t have facebook on my phone (does anyone anymore?!?), and I do go browse on Twitter from time to time, but really the bulk of my phone time is spend mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. It’s just so fun and easy to do! There’s just so much fun stuff to look at! And there’s all the friends and family I know IRL to keep up with! It’s just a lot!

I set up a application timer specifically for Instagram so that once I’ve been on the app for 20 minutes, it reminds me “You’ve spent 20 minutes on Instagram today” and that’s supposed to make me want to leave the app. And sometimes it does… but sometimes I’m in the middle of watching some great stories and I’ve just gotta stay a little bit longer! I always feel oddly proud of myself when I get that notification in the evening instead of like, 9am, which definitely happens more often than I’d care to admit.

So even though I’m trying to spend less time just mindlessly looking at social media, there are quite a few accounts that I’m always happy to see updated posts and stories from! They’ve just got great content that never make me feel like I’m wasting my time (which is the point of social media, right? Even if I AM wasting my time, it’s nice to not feel like that’s the case!) I wanted to share some of MY favorite accounts with you so you can follow along with them, too!

Kirby Jenner

This account is done SO WELL and always makes me crack up. Did you know that the Kardashian family has ANOTHER sibling that often gets forgotten about? That’s right, the totally *NOT* fictional Kirby Jenner is here to show you all his antics with the rest of his family, often with his twin sis Kendall. His Photoshop skills are great – just see for yourself!

Elizabeth Holmes

If you want all the thoughts and opinions about all things Royal (outfits, hair, appearances, babies, instagram accounts, and more) then give this lady a follow! She’s known for her “So Many Thoughts” stories where she’ll take a picture of a royal person/scenario and put ALL HER THOUGHTS on top of them. And homegirl does her research! It’s not just snarky or frivolous, it’s factual! And so fun!

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SO MANY THANKS to everyone who made my inaugural #SoManyThoughts event into *such a special* night. It was a total thrill to see the room packed full of thoughtful people. I cannot believe we were the fasting-selling event this space has seen! Swipe for some of my favorite moments. 🙌🎀🙌 . I’m so grateful to all of the people who gave of their time and resources to make this happen: thank you to @cupofjo for moderating, @made.by.we for hosting, @wolfferwine for the drinks, @scunci for the bows, @sally_hansen for the nail polish, @hatchgal for lending me a jumpsuit, @liz_devine for pics, as well as @kate_childs + @juliekohncohen + @lizasuloti + their teams for some serious hustle and enthusiasm. 💪💓💪 . YAY! Here’s to hoping we can do more! 🙏😊🙏

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Texas Humor

Just funny stuff about the greatest state. If you like Texas then you will like this.

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He’s not wrong. 🤴

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Kelly Larkin

Kelly is the cutest!!! She and her family live in Chicago and they just seem like such a fun couple/family. And bonus- she JUST had her second baby a few days ago! So get ready for all the cute baby pictures – I for one can’t wait! She has a super cute style and just seems like the nicest person around. I started following her through one of my favorite bloggers Carly (@carly) and I love seeing her pop up in my feed!

Jamie B. Golden

Jamie is 1/2 of my absolute favorite podcast duo (they do the amazing The Popcast with Knox and Jamie AND The Bible Binge, both of which are FANTASTIC listens!) and she is hilarious in her stories! But what I really love watching from her is when she talks about skincare. Girl loves her some skincare. And trying all the new things. And I just love hearing her talk about all of those new things. If you’re into face masks and eyeliner and all things Sephora (plus other hilarious things), give her a go.

Inslee Fariss

I’ve been a fan of Inslee’s art for SO long (it’s seriously so beautiful, she is crazy talented) but one thing I LOVE about following her on Instagram is that she is a mom that shows the hilarious and not so glamorous parts of raising a small human. Her son is still little and her stories are… just the best (I mean, she saved “peak toddler” stories and they just seem so relatable lol). Her son is so adorable, has a little plastic shovel that might be his best friend and for a time went around everywhere with him (watch here!), and he really hated hats for a long time. None of this sounds particularly interesting but trust me it’s just fun to see and follow along with all her adventures! They just moved from NYC to NC and I can’t wait to see what they get into in their new home!

Enneagram and Coffee

I think that you all already know that I’m super obsessed with the Enneagram… so of course I’m following a few Enneagram accounts on Instagram! I love this one because they have “serious” posts that go into what each number should work on or what is special about each one, but they also just do fun and silly posts like this one about getting a tattoo based on your number. Which is pretty much spot on.

Lonestar Southern

Cute Dallas girl alert!!! Kate is beyond adorable and just seems like the sweetest person you’ll ever meet! Her outfits are always sweet and cute and she is getting married next month, so you know there will be lots of gorgeous wedding pictures to look at soon! Follow her to make sure you see them – based on some of the things she’s shared on her blog, it will be a GORGEOUS wedding!

Covering the Bases

Another one of my favorite bloggers that is getting married soon is Krista! She is so down to earth and so preppy (in the best East Coast way without being pretentious) and I love following along with her life in NYC! Her go-to color combo is blue and white (yes, please!!!) and she is just a really fun one to follow! She’s also shared a lot of her wedding plans/ideas on her blog and this one too seems like it will be GORGEOUS – you’ll definitely want to follow along for it! (Like they’re doing their own flowers, and how gorgeous are they?!?)

Hilary Rushford

Hilary was one of the very first people that I didn’t actually know IRL that I started following on Instagram. Her energy is contagious, she always has great things to say, and she is just a whole lotta fun while also keeping things super real! She just started a podcast (which I’ve only listened to 2 episodes but am already LOVING) and oh my goodness she and her husband ELOPED and it was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I’VE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!! I even put it in a Five for Friday post back in the fall because I was so obsessed with their gorgeous wedding photos!

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7 reasons to become an entrepreneur • 1 You have yet to discover all of your abilities. 💋 I had no idea when I first started that I was talented at business, marketing, copywriting, branding, teaching extemporaneously, writing inspiring messages on Instagram. A ton of little talents are waiting for you to uncover just how much potential you really have! • 2 You don’t know all your weakness. 💋 Entrepreneurship will also bring out your sore spots, but staying oblivious to them doesn’t mean you avoid them, it just means they’re crippling your life without you learning how to fix them. There is a better version of you waiting to be revealed! • 3 There are people you could help. 💋 Whether with your product or creating a job for someone. • 4 You have the potential to choose + control your financial peace. • 5 And the freedom to work wherever, whenever. • 6 And to prioritize what matters most whether a child, sick parent, or friend in need. • 7 If you’re a woman you can control that women are paid equal to men, given positions equal to men, + no one is subject to sexual harassment. If you’re a man you can choose the same. • 1 reason to join the free workshop here >>> DeanSt.co/PaidToBeCreative <<< a year from now you’ll wish you’d started today! (Link in bio!) • Which number is YOUR greatest reason? 💋 • PS See IG Stories for how our team responded to a total tech meltdown today. A couple years ago I would have been a mess, but today I just laughed it off. Proof that business has grown me!

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And that’s it for now! What are some of your favorite accounts – and why do YOU love them?!? I’d love to follow along with you!!

Five for Friday #52

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Hello and happy Friday, friends! I can’t believe that we’re already at the end of another week and that we’re so far into May already! Oh my goodness! This month I’m way less busy than usual (socially speaking) but the month is going to go by faster than ever since I’m getting ready to move! I’m in serious packing mode at the moment and plan on doing a lot more this weekend. My dining room is now full of piles of boxes and tubs and it’s really starting to feel real! I’m so excited to live with my friend Merideth in the cutest house ever – we get along so well and I just know that we’ll be great roomies! Plus she has the world’s tiniest and most adorable dog, and that will be a lot of fun for me – I’ve NEVER lived with a dog before! (Wait… have I?…. No I haven’t!!)

I’ve been finding a lot of old “gems” while packing, it’s been quite hilarious! There were old prom pictures (which have an ex-boyfriend in them but also I look very pretty so I don’t want to get rid of them! lol), playbills from musicals I saw years and years ago, postcards I got in NYC and forgot to send to anybody, and I even found a CD I bought at some concert who knows how long ago, tucked away, and NEVER LISTENED TO IT! The band is called This Wild Life and I still can’t remember for the life of me what concert they were the opening band for, but I’ve been listening to the CD in my car for a few days now just to make up for lost time! (Actually a quick and specific internet search tells me they were the opening band when I saw Dashboard Confessional in 2017, so mystery solved!)

Here’s what’s been on my radar lately!

one || I didn’t know I’d want a pink kitchen until I saw this one! The before and after pictures for the renovation are amazing – it’s just such a fun space that I would love to cook and bake in!

two || I somehow have like 3 bottles of lemon extract in my cabinet (I keep forgetting that I have it at home and then I buy another bottle for a recipe and so that’s where I’m at). I don’t love lemon-flavored things (I don’t even like lemonade, tbh), but these lemon raspberry macarons actually sound REALLY good! I’m going to have to try and make these soon!

three || I talked a little bit ago about reading Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s book and how I heard her speak last month and was really impressed with her. Well. Then I went and listened to her on an episode of a great podcast, That Sounds Fun hosted by Annie F. Downs and now I love her even more!! She was so real and I loved all her stories and I liked this episode even more than I liked her book. So if you want to hear more about her and her life/work/faith and don’t want to take the time to read her book, just listen to this episode instead!

four || I’m in my 30s now and I know that I need to start using skincare products with retinol, but I just don’t know where to start! I like the look of this little mini kit to try- it comes with eye cream, moisturizer, and serum. I might have to give this a try!

five || I haven’t used a physical planner in a few years, but I definitely like the look of this one! I like how it has a spiral inside, but a flat cover on the outside… and all those stickers! So fun!!

I FINALLY Saw Hamilton!!!!!!!!!

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You guys. It happened! It finally happened! After YEARS of obsessing and memorizing every lyric and reading all the fun facts I finally got to see Hamilton! And I didn’t just get to see it once… I saw it TWICE!!! The tour FINALLY came to Dallas and I was hesitant to be too excited because it isn’t the original cast and it’s a touring company, but y’all… THEY WERE SO GOOD!!!!!!! I’m jumping ahead of myself. Let me take you back to January 2017 to when I decided that I wanted to see Hamilton when it came to Dallas.

I’d seen a few musicals in Dallas before, so I received an email from the musical program trying to get people to buy season tickets, which I normally would not do. HOWEVER. They made sure to put in there that Hamilton was coming to Dallas in 2019, and if you wanted to see it at cost, you should buy season tickets for the 2018 season so you can then renew your season tickets for the 2019 season. I decided right then and there that season tickets to see TWO YEARS-worth of musicals would be my birthday present to myself for the next 2 years and I was going to see Hamilton in 2019!

The First Time ||

So then fast forward to this year, my friend and I decided to upgrade our tickets for Hamilton (we got the cheapest season tickets at the VERY back and wanted to sit a little closer) and we actually had great seats to see the show! My friend is also a Hamilton superfan, and so he and I had been looking forward to this for SO LONG! And it. did. not. disappoint!

I’ll share more thoughts about the show itself later, but I was just so blown away by all the great singers and all the great dancers and the story was just SO MOVING, even though I knew it all already! If you’ve listened to the soundtrack before, you know that the end can be a little bit emotional (in a very sweet way) and seeing it in person made it SO MUCH MORE EMOTIONAL and I could not contain the tears!! Ugh it was just so good!

The Second Time ||

Once I had seen the show once, I knew down in my heart of hearts that I just really really really needed to see it again. Ok, maybe not NEED… but… as close to need as you can get without it being essential to daily functioning. I kind of talked about the idea of seeing it again with some friends, and I’ve got some great enablers on my team because they all said what I was thinking – don’t NOT see it again if you think you’ll regret it.

So I began searching every show day and show time to find a good deal. Thankfully Hamilton was in Dallas for almost a full month and I saw it the first time on opening weekend, so I had lots of time to find a great ticket at a great price. I think I found the ONLY non-resale ticket left in the entire venue for the entire run of the show here in Dallas! It was a great price, and oh yeah, IN THE SECOND ROW!!!!!!!! (Since I was planning on going alone this time, that really helped me to find a ticket at a good deal!) I grabbed that ticket so fast and you guys… seeing Hamilton in the second row was BEYOND INCREDIBLE!! I saw them spitting while singing! I saw their facial expressions so well! I saw so many things I missed the first time around! Oh man was it incredible!

I think that being THAT close and seeing ALL the things made it so much more emotional, and I was so proud of myself for not crying during… the first sad part… (I shouldn’t be worrying about spoilers since this is based on real history and all, but oh well). I got to the end and again thought that I was doing so well and keeping it together and then out of nowhere thought to myself “huh, why are my cheeks wet?!?! When did that happen?!!? When did my eyes start tearing up so heavily?!?!?” So yeah, the ending got me AGAIN the second time around.

Thoughts and Things ||

I just have so many thoughts about finally seeing Hamilton live, and there’s really no cohesive way to organize them, so I’m just going to throw them all out there!

  • The singing was just PHENOMENAL. You hear the soundtrack and of course it’s easy to sing well when you’re standing in a recording studio, but these people were jumping all around and dancing and their singing was still so amazing. They’re just so talented! They should be so proud!!!
  • The dancing was also PHENOMENAL. This is an ACTIVE show and they were seriously moving non-stop! The background chorus members literally never stopped moving, and it added so much to the show. But even the main actors were constantly dancing and moving, too. Again, everyone was just so talented!
  • Between the two shows, I got to see a few of the understudies perform (one show it was understudies for George Washington and Angelica Schuyler, the other show it was understudies for Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens/Philip Schuyler) and even the understudies were JUST SO AMAZING! It’s hard to compare, especially the Hamilton role, because each man brought their own flair to the role, but how is there that much talent in one cast?!?!? Crazy!
  • I mentioned it before, but actually SEEING the show while hearing the songs amps up the emotions so much. Yes, it’s devastatingly sad in some parts when you’re just listening, but something about actually seeing them sing and seeing the emotion on their faces… ooooh it really gets you! There were a lot of sniffles in the room! I remember how much I cried listening to it for the first time… so it’s probably good that I’d heard it before so I wasn’t a blubbering mess in my seat!
  • This show is FUNNY! I never really got that in listening to the cast recording, but there was so much humor! A lot of it was in people’s expressions and reactions and things you wouldn’t hear in the soundtrack, but it was a really nice surprise to get to laugh so often and get entertained on that level.
  • The buzz and excitement in the audience was SO PALPABLE and just feeling how excited everyone around me was definitely made me more excited! The room definitely felt different than any of the other musical’s I’ve seen. And if it was like that for the tour in a super old theater in Dallas, TX, I can only imagine how crazy intense the theater would feel when seeing it in New York!
  • The stage only has 1 set! That’s so rare with a huge, big-budget musical! They brought a few props out every now and again, but there were no other set changes. And it all worked so well that you really don’t even notice!

I have a lot more things I could say about this, but I think this is enough for now. You get it. I was obsessed, I saw it twice, and now I remain obsessed! I’ve already listened to the cast recording a few times since seeing it live and now I have MEMORIES of what was happening at different parts, and that is just so fun! Tell me, have you seen it? Did you love it? Do you think that all of this is WAY over-hyped and you just don’t care? Let’s talk about it (and I’ll try and change your mind if you’re in the latter-camp!)

My Townhouse Tour!

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Now that I’m about to move out of my townhouse and I’ve already lived here for over 2 years, I thought I should finally share some pictures of where I’ve been living! (And don’t worry, I’m still staying in the Dallas area, it’s just time to move somewhere new and different! More on that later…)

This townhouse has been great and was EXACTLY what I was looking for when I was moving 2 years ago. I wanted something affordable (cuz ya girl is on a budget), without any neighbors above me (because I previously had a bartender living above me who would storm in at 3am and slam every door and cabinet possible meaning I also woke up every night at 3am), and in a safe neighborhood (just common sense, really). I seriously lucked out when I found a townhouse in my budget and the hilarious thing is that it was only ONE street away from my last apartment! Talk about a fast and easy move!!

Ok, let’s get started upstairs, shall we?!? Upstairs there is just SO MUCH SPACE! So much room for activities! I have the vanity, bathroom, and closet over on the back wall, but the upstairs is just gigantic. I feel like I have big furniture and it doesn’t even come close to taking up all the space!

One thing I didn’t like when I first moved in (this wasn’t the floor plan I was originally supposed to have, which I didn’t find out until about 3 days before moving in…) was that it is a loft-style townhouse, so the entire upstairs is open to the downstairs. It just seemed way too open to me, but once I got used to it, it became my FAVORITE thing about living there! I love that I can easily just toss something down over the rail, or (more fun/more challenging) throw something UP over the rail from the downstairs!

Now onto the downstairs! Again, I just feel like there’s so much space! I had to get a little bit creative around the fireplace – there are two pretty deep cubbies on both sides that I just didn’t know what to do with. (Mainly because again, I didn’t expect to be in this floor plan!) I love that my leaning bookshelf seemed to fit perfectly on the right side, and I found a great TV stand from Wayfair that fit perfectly on the left! There’s a great little Harry Potter coat closet under the staircase that has GREAT storage.

The kitchen is… fine… lol I didn’t pick this place because it was the nicest in town and that DEFINITELY shows in the kitchen, but it’s been pretty good for the most part! Except for a dying oven that doesn’t really heat that well. That’s not great. But everything else works just fine! And back at the back of the kitchen is a 1/2 bath which is wonderful. It’s so nice to not have to go all the way upstairs to use the restroom, especially when I have guests over!

I do also have a dining room with a table, chairs, and a little keyboard! However, ti’s currently a sea of boxes waiting to be packed for my big move, and we really don’t need a picture of that, now do we?!?

And that’s it! It’s nothing fancy or special, but I’ve really loved living here for the past 2 years. Now it’s back to packing and organizing – oh boy! Have a great weekend!!