Sassy Southern Blonde

A Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kelsie Bynum

2022 BOOK REVIEW (So Far…)

I’m really bad about being consistent with my reading because I hit a lull after I finished Daisy Jones & The Six in January! Luckily, I picked it back up in April and now I’ve knocked out quite a few books. It’s hard to even choose a favorite because they’re all so different! Let me know your thoughts on this lineup because I know we all have different opinions! 🙂

The Last Thing He Told Me

I chose this book because it was a top read of 2021, but I think it was somewhat overhyped! The storyline got better as I read, but it just wasn’t on the same level as others to me. I do occasionally have a hard time reading books that are very unrelated to my life, so maybe that played a factor too!

Daisy Jones & The Six

I have seen mixed reviews about Daisy Jones, but I LOVED this book! A lot of people recommended the audiobook since the story is told in multiple viewpoints, but I didn’t mind it. This is the kind of book that I was sad about finishing! I’m pretty sure it’s loosely based on Fleetwood Mac. There’s also a movie (or tv show?) being filmed! I can’t wait!!!

People We Meet On Vacation

If you’re looking for a cute and easy vacation read, obviously the People We Meet On Vacation is a safe bet! The plot wasn’t too deep, and I honestly wished I would have saved it for the actual beach. It has a very obvious ending, but I still enjoyed the journey to it! Lol.

The Paris Apartment

I’m still on the fence about The Paris Apartment months later! I really had to force myself to push through to the “shocking moment” when a book starts to click for me. Even then, I struggled to like it! Without revealing any spoilers, it was pretty obvious everyone in the story was connected. I wish the author would have made it more conspicuous!

November 9

Although I enjoy Colleen Hoover books, I’m not her #1 biggest fan! I definitely liked November 9 more than It Ends With Us. It also has spoilers from Ugly Love, so you need to read it first! I do think the character’s connection in the book was less obvious than her others which I appreciated! Haha.

The Golden Couple

Thrillers that have a bizarre twist you never saw coming are just the best! Especially if you’re in the mood for that type of book. I knew I would enjoy The Golden Couple if it was half as good as The Wife Between Us. As always, Greer Hendricks and Sara Pekkanen deliver the anxiety I crave in a great read!

The Hunting Wives

Oh my gosh. This book was recommended by one of the girls on my favorite podcast, and it was SO good. I think I read it within 48 hours? That’s saying something for me. I couldn’t put it down! You really have no clue what’s going to happen because the ending shocked me! I also just enjoy reading about the mysterious lives of rich southern women! 😉

What’s Next…

Meant To Be, The Idea of You, It Happened One Summer, Lessons in Chemistry

XOXO

Kels

BAKER’S FIRST BIRTHDAY

I have been planning Baker’s first birthday party for months now, so it was really cool to see my vision come to life! I knew pretty quickly that I wanted the theme to be Pete the Cat because Baker is obsessed with the show on Amazon Prime. Unfortunately, Pinterest didn’t have as many cute ideas as I hoped for, so I winged most of it! I’m still SO happy with how everything turned out. The vendors I used were amazing, and I cannot recommend them enough!

Summer’s Sweet Studio handled the invitations! I loved the very first one she sent me, and that’s what I went with! Magnolia Grace Cakes made the birthday cake, cookies, and smash cake. I chose red velvet for the top and normal white cake mix for the bottom! It was seriously some of the BEST cake I’ve ever had, and I like to think of myself as a bit of a cake expert! 🙂 Vine and Toast created the prettiest (and tastiest) charcuterie board! I’m so glad we had leftovers because I’ve been nibbling on it constantly! Haha. The white bounce was from Magnolia Luxe Rentals! It’s such an easy and fun party activity because they handle the set up and take down!

I think I covered everything, but please let me know if you have any other questions about Baker’s party! Thanks for reading y’all!

XO

Kels

5 TIPS ON HOW TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL MORNING

I will be the first to admit that I don’t follow these tips every single morning, but I can see a huge difference in my mindset and productivity when I do! Even though most people have gone back to the office, I know some of you like myself still work from home. And let’s be honest! Working from home is great, but it can also lead to many distractions. That’s why I think starting your day off with a solid routine is the best solution to have a successful day! 🙂

Wake Up Early

Luckily, I can always count on Baker to make sure I’m awake by 7am every morning, but I actually enjoy it! Waking up early makes me feel like I have extra time to accomplish all of my daily tasks. There’s no better feeling than when I’m finished by lunch, and I can start on the next day’s to-do list early if I want to!

Lay Your Clothes Out The Night Before

As silly as this sounds, I’m less likely to change out of my pajamas (especially if I’m doing computer work) if I don’t already have an idea of what I’m going to put on! The nights I plan my outfit beforehand (even just a pullover and leggings) always lead to me staying in my routine better in the morning! This is also great for people back in the office.

Change Out of Your Pajamas and Get Ready For The Day

I think this tip and the one above go hand in hand! Like I said, laying out your clothes the night before really helps you to not waste time in the mornings. And if you work from home like me, you can probably tell the difference between the days you get ready and the days you don’t! I 100% accomplish more because I feel better overall!

Coffee and Devotional

I am so guilty of rushing around and starting my day before I have sat down for just 5 minutes to read my daily devotional! Since I love a good cup of morning coffee, I try to drink mine while having quiet time. I think starting my day off like this impacts my mental health in the most positive way, and I highly encourage you to try it! My favorite devotionals are Jesus Calling or New Morning Mercies that are both available on Amazon! 

Plan Out Your Day Beforehand

There are few things I love more than my daily planner! I truly enjoy writing down and planning my day along with brainstorming new content ideas, partnership opportunities, etc. Most people have probably switched to digital planners, but I never will. I find too much satisfaction in drawing a line through each task as I complete it! Lol. I mainly plan out my week on Sunday afternoons just to get idea of what’s on my schedule and what I need to add!

I hope these small tips lead to big improvements in your own morning routine! I’m excited to continue implementing them in my own life. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

XOXO

Kels

LIFE LATELY: FEBRUARY 2022

I have been on a major brainstorming kick the past week between Reels content and other ideas I want to incorporate into Sassy Southern Blonde! I even thought about starting a monthly newsletter for email subscribers, but the IG poll answered what I already assumed. Most of y’all don’t read newsletters and you probably aren’t going to start. Hahah! That’s okay though because I think I came up with a better solution. I still want to share monthly updates, but it will just be found in a blog post here! 🙂

Basically, it’ll be a newsletter within a blog post! I plan to recap top sellers of the month, recent blog posts, favorite purchases, the month’s partnerships, graphics I created and of course exciting things happening with Bo and Baker! Each month will vary slightly depending on what is happening. I am SO happy about this idea, and I hope it’s a way to find information you’re looking for while learning more about me. Since January was a slow month and has already passed, we’ll start with February! It might get lengthy FYI. Lol!

PERSONAL LIFE

Baker is 8 months old in February, and I’m sending him to a Mother’s Morning Out program starting next week! It’s hard to find a place that’s a great fit with an available spot, but everything finally came together! For safety reasons, I obviously won’t be sharing the actual program, but it’s super close to our house and will be perfect for dropping him at while I get uninterrupted work done!

After these last few months, I have a newfound respect for stay at home moms and especially work from home moms! Some days are more productive than others, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking forward to a break. And I’m also not going to pretend I feel guilty about sending him either! The truth is I am SO excited because I think it will be good for both of us. Edit to add that I’ve heard nothing but great things about the program, it’s super small and again VERY close to my house!

MY FAVORITE PURCHASES

MONTHLY TOP SELLERS

FEBRUARY GRAPHICS

CURRENT DISCOUNT CODES

XOXO

Kels

MY GOALS FOR 2022

New Year’s resolutions have such a negative stigma because most of us abandon them within a few weeks into the year! I decided to set some attainable goals for 2022 instead. I guess you could argue that goals and resolutions are basically the same thing, but I enjoy making them nonetheless! Lol.

Make SMART financial decisions + SAVE SAVE SAVE

A house and a baby are pretty big investments, so I’m focusing on saving money in 2022! I also want to pay off my credit card, and a couple of other things. Technically, I could right now, but I’d rather do it over a few months! I think that’s the procrastinator in me. Haha!

Start A New Side Business

The wheels in my head have been turning for a few months on this, but I haven’t nailed down what I’d actually want to do! I think I just like toying with the idea and keeping my options open if a good opportunity presents itself!

Collaborate With My Dream Brands

I’m keeping my specific list of dream brands I want to partner with to myself at the moment, but I promise I will share if any of them come into fruition! I have already been implementing strategies to achieve this, and I hope my hard work pays off soon! 🙂

Hit Goal Income

Again, I’m not going to say what my exact ideal income is for 2022, but it’s an amount that I’ve never made in a year before! I’m looking forward to working towards it, though. I know it’s annoying to be vague, but talking finances isn’t something I do! Lol.

Read ONE Book Per Month

This goal was meant to provide some reading consistency in my life! Lol. Instead of binging books at the end of the year like I did in 2021, I want to start off 2022 reading. I’d love to end up checking off more than one book a month, but I’m trying to be realistic just in case I get busy!

Get Ready 4 of 5 Weekdays

I swear that I’m more productive when I’m semi dressed! Even if that looks like workout clothes and a little makeup, I know I’ll feel better and accomplish more! Here’s to hoping I don’t lose the momentum. Lol!

Read Devotional Daily + Quiet Time

I’m not going to lie, I already skipped a day on my devotional yesterday. But that’s okay because I got right back on track today! I think it’s important to not get discouraged if you don’t hit your goals every single day. As long as you hold yourself accountable, you can still continue as planned!

Attend Church More Regularly

We finally started going back to church in September, and it feels so good to start the week at church! However, we had a lot of travel planned at the end of the year between trips and weekends home to Laurel, so we definitely didn’t make it every Sunday. Now that things are slowing down in January, I really hope we can make it at least two or three times a month!

Be the BEST mom to Baker

It’s very overwhelming and scary to think about raising a child in the world today! There’s so much bad, and I just pray God equips me to instill everything I need to in Baker. I want to shield him as much as I can, but I know that God is in control! I find immense peace in that. I also want Baker to have the most magical childhood we can give him! 🙂

PS: And when I wasn’t looking, Bo added baby #2 to my list of 2022 goals.. *insert skull emoji* Unfortunately, that will not be happening for a few years, but he thinks he’s so funny! Ugh.

XOXO

Kels