Lifestyle Archives - Sassy Southern Blonde

2021 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

January 9, 2021

Even after experiencing the craziness of 2020, I still felt like I somewhat stuck to a few of my 2020 resolutions! (Linking that blog post HERE) Maybe a few goals were unrealistic because let’s be honest, traveling was pretty nonexistent. (Although I still managed to go to Miami, Rosemary Beach, Jackson Hole, and the Smoky Mountains) I do believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe that time period was meant to prepare us for something great!

Some of you might laugh at the thought of even trying to make new year resolutions at this point (and I don’t blame you lol), but I like to keep it positive and hope for the best! I decided to jot down a few thoughts and goals I have for 2021 and wanted to share. This year will be an adventure like no other for me! 🙂

Count My Blessings Daily

Goodness. I hate that there are some days I’m so busy that I forget to stop and just say thank you Jesus! He continues to bless me beyond what I deserve. I want to find a great devotional, so I can strive to start each day with quiet time and a positive mindset! Making this a top priority in 2021.

Learn To Cope With Stress + Anxiety Positively

I have probably put a form of this on every New Year Resolutions blog post to date, but it’s something I am STILL most definitely working on! For those of you who are familiar with the Enneagram, being a Type 7 can cause you to gravitate toward unhealthy Type 1 tendencies like perfectionism and being overly obsessive. This side comes out the most when I’m dealing with my blog and business because I just want to be the best resource I can for y’all!

Prepare + Pray For Motherhood

Even though I’ve had months to process, I still can’t believe I’m having an actual child in June! Being a mom is always something I knew I wanted eventually, but of course I wonder how I will ever be as great as my own mother. She is seriously the best and so selfless! I hear your motherly instincts will kick in, so I shouldn’t worry too much and that makes me feel a lot better. Y’all know I love to stress! *See above* Lol.

Become A Homeowner

This is a personal goal for 2021, but one I’ve had in the back of my mind for years! I’d like to think I’m pretty smart with my finances because you never know what tomorrow will bring. I’m excited to start the process soon and watch it all unfold! And let’s be honest, I have already been saving home inspiration nonstop because decorating is the fun part! Until my indecisiveness kicks in! Haha.

Quality Content + Consistency With My Brand

I have so many ideas on how to improve my content across the board, but I feel like there’s never enough time in the day! For example, I have been putting off learning to create video content for too long. It’s something that I love to see from other bloggers, but it intimidates me! Lol. I think that’s the perfectionism coming out! And I also want to *finally* invest in a new camera I’ve been mentioning for a year now. My Canon Rebel just isn’t providing me with the quality I want!

More Real Life + Transparency

I seriously love sharing personal, real life moments with y’all, but I know I don’t always do a great job! There’s really no reason other than me being the worst at multi-tasking. I’m usually caught up in the moment whether it’s with my family, friends, or Bo and I’m just not on my phone as much! I try to be as present as possible with them, but there’s a balance somewhere. As far as daily life goes, I’m pretty boring during the week with behind-the-scenes tasks! I want to do better in 2021, though, so I’m going to work on this starting with more consistent IG Stories!

XOXO

Kels

Top 5 Favorite Podcasts + Why I LOVE Them

February 25, 2020

Crime Junkie

My #1 holy grail podcast is without a doubt Crime Junkie! I started listening to it over a year ago, and it’s become my favorite podcast for long car rides! I am such a scaredy cat, so playing it while I’m alone at night on a highway in another state probably isn’t the smartest! Lol. Once I caught up to the current episodes, I was actually sad because I loved binging them. My favorite ones are the cases classified as missing because they’re extra spooky since they’re unsolved!

Culpable

After Crime Junkie, Culpable easily takes the cake! If this podcast had more episodes, it would be a solid tie. Culpable hits very close to home, literally. The story is about a guy from Meridian, Mississippi (45 minutes up the Interstate from my hometown of Laurel) who was murdered, but the local law enforcement labeled it a suicide. This all happened back in 2014, but the story of Christian Andreacchio has only recently caught national attention because of Culpable podcast! I never knew any of this was going on until a few months ago, and it was happening so close to me. Insane!

Up & Vanished

I might need to clarify that my favorite Up & Vanished is the first season about Tara Grinstead! It was one of the first crime podcasts I ever listened to and still a favorite of mine. Payne Lindsay is the guy telling Tara’s story throughout the podcast, and I could listen to him all day. He has a great voice that makes you want to focus on the case! Lol. Tara’s story was super crazy with men coming out of the woodwork every episode. It’s a great one if you’re a newbie podcaster!

True Crime Obsessed

This is my lesser favorite of the crime podcasts I mentioned, but the two hosts are hilarious! The best episode from them is definitely their coverage of Fyre Festival. They were roasting all the people from the documentary! I also like that you don’t have to listen to the episodes in order because each one has a new case. I should mention they joke and laugh a lot, so I personally enjoy them making light of the situation/case! It could offend some, though. Lol!

The Viall Files

If I’m listening to podcasts, they’re 90% crime related. But, I also have a reality tv addiction so that’s where my low key love of The Viall Files comes in. It’s funny because Nick Viall was one of my least favorite bachelors of all time; however, I am such a fan of his podcast! He has made me totally change my opinion of him. I even listen to his podcast before Ben Higgins and Ashley I! That’s saying something! HA

XOXO

Kels

TWEED SET + MY ENNEAGRAM TYPE

January 27, 2020

I know I’m late to the party, but I finally took the enneagram test! I am a type 7, which was no surprise to me. The most interesting part of the results was that it revealed what your typical behavior at great, normal, and poor levels! Basically, how you act at your best and at your worst. Overall, Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, and spontaneous! With these traits, it’s easy for Sevens to become over-extended, scattered, and exhausted though. They can also have issues with impatience and impulsiveness!

The deeper I dived into this information, the more I realized how fitting the type 7 was to me! From the good traits to the bad, every single one made sense. At some point, I was reading an article that told me how most sevens think, and I had never realized it was how my brain worked until now! Their basic desires are to be satisfied and content and basic fears are being deprived of and in pain. This hit very close to home!

The Enneagram Institute further mentions how Sevens are super enthusiastic and approach life with curiosity, optimism, and a sense of adventure! They choose to do things that stimulate their minds and that’s why they usually have a lot of tasks happening at once. I related to this because I always have a mile long to do list, and I get a natural high from being busy! It’s hard to turn my brain off some nights! Haha.

Another trait of a type 7 that resonated with me is how indecisive most of us are. We are so worried about making the right choice that we cause ourselves anxiety! THIS IS ME. Especially when I’m traveling, I have to have THE perfect itinerary. I want to go to all the best, most popular spots! I don’t like being idle because it makes me feel like I’m wasting precious time! Sevens yearn for freedom and satisfaction, which can be a negative thing sometimes.

I could go on for DAYS about my enneagram type because I LOVE psychology and understanding how my mind works! It’s crazy to me that so much goes on in your subconscious that you don’t even know about. Or you don’t realize at first! Apparently, most Sevens use rationalization as a defense mechanism aka they love to justify things to make themselves feel better. Another point that is very spot on!

This blog post just got SUPER long, but it wasn’t intentional! Haha. I just thought it would be fun to share more about being a type 7 since it helps y’all get to understand me better! This might even require a part 2 once I do more research! 🙂 If you want to take the enneagram test, I will link the free one I did HERE!

PS: I planned to talk about this pink tweed set more, but just know it’s worth EVERY penny! And it’s actually super affordable. My mom thought I spent hundreds on it judging by the quality and fit! I think it’s the perfect mix between Jackie O and Elle Woods! 🙂

XOXO

Kels

HOW TO STYLE A CARDIGAN + WORD OF 2020

January 19, 2020

CARDIGAN | JEANS | BOOTIES | PURSE | NECKLACE

Since I never chose a word for 2019 and regretted it, I decided to not make the same mistake twice! I thought long and hard about my word for 2020, and what I want to focus on. There were others that I loved (intentional, patience, travel, connect), but peace is what I kept circling back to! Why peace? For me, this word goes hand in hand with my faith. I previously mentioned (HERE) that I saw this quote about praying anytime you start worrying because you’re choosing positivity over negativity!

Y’all don’t see it as much, but I am the queen of worrying! Even my close friends probably don’t notice, but it all goes back to how much I care and invest in the people I love. If someone is struggling, I’m going to do everything I can to help! I’m pretty unstoppable! And a select few can attest to this. Lol!

In 2020, I want to find peace in every situation that troubles or worries me! I feel like discovering a word that you can grow with and actually implement is important. That’s why I went with peace over the others! Peace is something I’m striving for in both my personal and professional life this year. I’ve already felt God bring me peace in situations, and I only pray it continues! Trusting God’s perfect timing in my life and knowing everything will fall into place exactly how it’s supposed to truly comforts me and provides major peace at the end of the day! 🙂

On a lighter note, this cropped cardigan and boyfriend jeans have ended up being one of my favorite outfits! I really didn’t think I could pull the look off because it’s more edgy than my usual style. Cardigans as tops are a HUGE trend for Spring, and I’m loving it!

XOXO

Kels

2020 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

January 5, 2020

Now that we’re a few days into 2020, I finally had time to stop and think about my resolutions for the new year! Like I mentioned on Stories, I hit such a holiday slump between Christmas and January 1st! I felt like my brain was in a haze, and I wasn’t sure exactly what I needed to be doing! Lol. So, I just stopped worrying and spent lots of time with my family and friends! I had an extremely busy, yet successful year with Sassy Southern Blonde, and I figured I deserved some grace. It’s crazy because once New Year’s Day hit, I was back on my game and ready to take on 2020! 🙂

One of the things I love about a new year is all the hope, anticipation, and excitement for what’s to come! It’s a chance to start fresh and reset your focus. I enjoyed reading my resolutions from 2019 (HERE) to reflect and also inspire me for 2020!

Instead of worrying about it, PRAY about it!

A few months ago, I saw this quote on Facebook, and it basically said every time you’re worrying about something, pray about it instead. Now when I’m stressing, I almost always think of this quote and I will switch the worrying for the praying. It has made a HUGE difference and is something I am definitely bringing with me in 2020!

Blog > Instagram

I pour so much time and energy into Instagram, but I want to make sure Sassy Southern Blonde is receiving the same attention. After all, my blog is the only thing I own and can 100% control! Instagram, not so much. My goal is to make SSB the one stop shop in 2020!

Learn to say NO

If I tell someone no or that I can’t do something, I feel guilty for DAYS. Then, I think they could be mad at me when the other person probably didn’t think twice about it. I don’t like disappointing people, but I also have to make sure I’m not pushing myself too hard. In 2020, I want to say no with zero regrets!

Be a GREAT friend

My friends were so good to me in 2019 whether it was lending an ear or buying through my links! I wouldn’t survive without them, and I hope they know how much they are appreciated. The older you get, the more you realize who your true friends are, and I’m glad I’ve found mine!

Focus on my health

This is a goal I started a few months ago, and I’m happy I got a jump start on at least one of my resolutions! I have been slacking the last two weeks from the holidays, but I will be back at it on Monday. So excited to continue my fitness journey and share it with y’all!

Enjoy and embrace each season of life

For me, this is easier said than done! I feel like it’s something I have already gotten better about, but there’s always room for improvement! Of course I find myself wondering and wishing for the next big thing, but I know I must trust God’s timing. That means praying for patience and understanding in the process! 🙂

Create quality content

Even though I love my photos, I want to create quality content that I’m proud of! My goal is to invest in a better camera and find fresh inspiration on Pinterest!

Travel

2019 was a huge travel year for me, and I hope 2020 brings me as much adventure! I didn’t even realize how many trips I planned. It just happened that way! I visited SO many new, incredible places like Palm Springs, Portland, and Austin. I cannot wait to get the ball rolling this year! A few places on my dream list are Banff, Hawaii, Lake Tahoe, and Santorini!

XOXO

Kels