Are you ready for all the things?
Welcome to my version of a monthly recap post that lands here on the final Friday of each month. Just in case you missed the past couple of months, feel free to hop over using the links below!
March is entering an entirely new era for Kyle and I without our Draino cat, it makes me so sad. Kyle found her (stuck in a drain pipe – hence her name) about six months before we started dating, so she had been around longer than me – 13 years ago.
This month was filled with a lot of tears and hard adjusting to no more fur babies in our household. I hate it! But I know that God always knows best and I truly hope there are some brighter days ahead for us. I wish there was a lot more fun stuff for this post, but I mustered up all I could for a low-key, somewhat depressing month.
Now’s the time to grab your coffee (or fave beverage!) and let’s dive into all the things from March!
Life Lately
This section is always a mix of personal life, blog life, and everything in between — the real behind-the-scenes of the month.
Eating Healthier
Kyle really wanted to settle into a better eating routine and it’s been a neat experience so far! I am not a very strict eater and while that sometimes hurts me, I am trying to use that knowledge to my advantage and instead just have healthier options here to eat. I’ve been trying some new recipes and found some real keepers! KFC finally brought back their Twister wraps that Kyle loved back in the day, but we were both blown away that they are 1100 calories! That’s a yikes! So I searched Pinterest and found this copycat recipe – it’s amazing and I cut down the calories to 262.
By the way, I absolutely love my new fruit and veggie snack container I got from Walmart! It’s a total dupe for the ones you see on Amazon and was only $5.83! It’s super easy to clean and is very aesthetic, so that makes it fun!
These bagels from Hungry Healthy Happy are also a big hit here! You can really add any toppings you want, but Kyle loves the jalapeno cheddar and I am obsessed with asiago! They’re made with self-rising flour and greek yogurt. They have more of a biscuit texture, but are so so good!
Strawberry Cobbler Chaos
Naturally in the same section I’m talking about eating healthy, I’m also talking about make strawberry cobbler for the first time! At least the strawberries are healthy, right?!
We ordered some strawberries and while we shared a good bit of them, we kept some back for snacking and I really wanted to try to make a cobbler. Well, the first time I tried it was a total flop (seen on the left in the picture above), I had to throw it away because it was strawberry soup with cake on top, ha ha! The second time around, I used this recipe instead and actually managed to make a crumbly texture on the top and it was very good. It was gone that evening!
Little Joys
Small moments that made this month feel warm, cozy, or meaningful.
Facebook keeps tracks of things you posted from however many years ago, and a few of those posts hit me like a ton of bricks with our little Draino! It’s been an entire month today since we had to put her down. It still breaks my heart! While the memories made me sad because she isn’t here anymore, they also made me smile because of how happy and healthy I know she was during those moments. It’s a reminder of how things change over time and we have to be really present with our people and fur babies while we have them, and be so thankful while things are going well.
You know you’re an adult when you get excited about new kitchen gadgets, haha! My beloved ladybug timer finally bit the dust, so Kyle ordered me a new timer that sticks on the fridge! It is so cool and I love being able to see it counting down since it’s digital.
We also can make our own whipped cream since Kyle got influenced by a reel he saw about this whipped cream contraption. The first time he used it was like a total disaster though! I’m still finding whipped cream in places, it like exploded, haha! But the second time around went much smoother (he also took it out on the porch just in case!) and I’m enjoying it on my coffee. It really amazed me how many nonsense ingredients are in canned whipped cream and while it’s still not the healthiest thing ever, it’s only two ingredients in ours: heavy cream and a splash of vanilla syrup.
Cultivate Corner
Think intentions, small habits, new collabs, and routines.
A Few New Collabs!
I got some fun new collaboration opportunities in my inbox late last month and starting out early March too! INIA, Recess Mood, and an Erin Condren collab! I’m so excited to share those with you as they come. My INIA Flare reel should be coming very soon, just wrapping up a few things behind-the-scenes! They were also kind enough to share a discount code! You can use Ashley 20 for $20 off.
No7 Beauty Community
Thanks to Carrie from Curly Crafty Mom inviting me, I am now part of the No7 Beauty Community! I’ve really wanted to take skincare a little more seriously (approaching mid-thirties over here!) and I think this will be a great way to do that, along with sharing some fun stuff with all of you! I need a better skincare routine for mornings and nights, and would love any tips if you have them!
You can use my affiliate link here if you’d like to take a look at all of their goodies! I recently ordered their Radiance+ Roll & Glow Eye Cream with my rewards and am loving it!
March Planning & Erin Condren Update
I ran out of monthly stickers for my Laurel Denise Scout planner since February was the final month HanCanPlan was going to be creating those. I’m still sad about that, but I ordered stickers from PlannerKate and I’m so excited to use them next month! I shared those along with my hodge-podge March layout with stickers I already had in my binder. Be sure to hop over and check it out if you enjoy planner videos!
Erin Condren Update: We just found out this week that along with Hello Kitty, Star Wars is no longer going to be in partnership with EC after 3/31. Both make me sad! So if you love those designs, it’s worth hopping over to see what they have left since you won’t be able to purchase after 3/31. The Hello Kitty products are discounted which is great, but sadly they said Star Wars won’t be, so it’ll still be full price.
I did a review of some of the Star Wars items back in the day, you can check out the post here! The Triangular Pen Set and Planny Pack are still available on the site.
Currently Reading, Watching & Loving
Things I’ve been loving, watching, reading, or reaching for lately.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Gold Rush
I’m sorry some of these shows are getting repeated each month, but they’re like really long reality shows that air each week! I think I’m going to be most sad about Gold Rush ending soon because I always look forward to it and can watch the reruns without getting bored, also. I know, I’m weird, haha!
Daredevil: Born Again Season Two
As of the time I’m writing this, I haven’t watched the first two episodes that just dropped (waiting on Kyle to watch with me tonight!) but I will have by the time this posts tomorrow! So feel free to comment below about it if you’re watching too! I loved the first season and hoping I get to see The Punisher in the show again!
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives/The Bachelorette Drama
Are you following all the craziness around Taylor Frankie Paul? I did a crash course with catching up on the SLOMW show on Hulu earlier this month before Taylor was set to be The Bachelorette, and then it all got cancelled due to her domestic violence video from 2023 getting released right before the show was about to air. It’s still beyond me that they chose her in the first place knowing she plead guilty to assault back then, even though they did not have footage of it.
The police showing up at the house during this incident is actually shown on the very first episode of SLOMW! She has a very toxic relationship with Dakota, her ex-boyfriend and also father of one of her children, and it plays out through the entire reality show, so I just don’t get it. I also selfishly wish they would have aired it because the trailer looked like a whole lot of entertainment, haha!
That’s a wrap on this month’s all the things, sweet friends! I’m sorry I didn’t have more to give you in this one, but I’ll try to make April a little more peppy and fun-filled! 🙂 In exactly one month, I’ll be caddying for Kyle during his US Open Qualifer, so that should be exciting! Would love all the prayers and good vibes that it goes fantastic for him! As always, I can’t wait to hear what you think in the comments – chat soon!
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my final Pebble Beach recap post as well as my doomscrolling post from this week if you haven’t already!
I’m in the No7 Community too Ashley! I love No7 products!
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Oh Lucy, that’s no neat!! Glad we are both in the community together and I’m excited to share more of their goodies!
Thank you for joining No7!! I just received my first products and I can’t wait to do a little unboxing. You’ve really tried some delicious and healthier recipes lately. I really want to try those bagels. Since I run so much, bagels are great to have around… and Teleo makes homemade ones and I’d love to make my own at home!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thank you for inviting me!! I’m so so excited for your unboxing, you got some great stuff! I think you’d love these bagels, they’re so quick and easy and love that there’s only two main ingredients and then it’s just the sort of toppings you want. I wish I was closer to your Teleo place, it always sounds so good!
I’m really sorry to hear that March was a tough month for you, and I completely understand why. The house must feel so much different without your little fur babies.
I hope that you still manage to find some joy in your days though. Thank you for sharing the Twister wrap recipe – I might try to make them this evening 🙂
Sarah x | http://www.oomphlondon.co.uk
Thank you so much Sarah, you are so right, the house does feel quite empty without our Draino cat. I’ve resorted to talking to her picture everyday, I might be losing it, haha. I have been trying to remember all the good times with her and our other precious cat that passed away a couple of years ago, and I think it’s helping. Oh, I’d love to hear if you like that recipe too, I just made some again last week, haha! 🙂
All looks so delicious 🙂
Thank you Kinga, we’ve been finding some yummy recipes lately! 🙂
Yes to RHOBH and SLOMW! Love the drama of both of those shows! So sorry again about your sweet kitty! It’s SO hard! It’s been 5 months for me and I’m finally starting to feel the pull of getting another cat, but I think I will hold off a bit longer.
I’m so glad I’m not alone in loving these crazy shows!! Thank you again so much and I am SO sorry you lost your sweet baby, I had no idea, I am sending you and your family so much love and prayers! I can understand that, I want another cat badly but I’m at the point where I would want it to be Draino and that’s not fair, but that’s just where my mind is at the moment. I think we’ll get another one eventually though! I will be praying God will send you the perfect fur baby and the right time for you! <3
I know it’s hard without Draino and I’ve been thinking about you. Those bagels look so good! Congrats on your new collabs! I’ve head great things about No.7 products!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thank you so much my friend, that means so much and I truly appreciate it!! I think you’d love some of the No7 goodies, I am obsessed with this vitamin C eye cream I got, it works great and super easy to apply (that’s right up my alley, haha). Thanks again Jill!!
This really feels honest and real, especially the part about Draino. You can feel how much love was there, and it makes those memories feel so important. Life shifts like that are never easy, but those little joys you shared still matter. The mix of trying new recipes and the cobbler story gave me a smile, it shows how life keeps moving even in a heavy month. How is Monday treating you so far? I just shared a new blog post: http://www.melodyjacob.com
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Aww, thank you so much Melody, that means a lot and I appreciate you always! Even though it’s been a bit doom and gloom, I’ve tried to show up authentically here and happy that things are feeling a little brighter in April. My week is going well so far and I hope this month is treating you well! Excited to catch up on your posts. 🙂
All of the food and coffee look so good!
Jennifer
https://curatedbyjennifer.com
Thanks Jennifer!! I’m really having fun trying out some new recipes!
I’m so sorry that March was a tough month for you without Draino. I hadn’t realised how she got her name!
Congrats on your new collabs and the bagels look so delicious!
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
She might be the only cat in the world named Draino, poor girl, haha! But as you can see, it was kind of fitting. 🙂 Thank you so so much Julia, I appreciate it tons and those bagels are a weekly staple here now!
Your post was perfect my friend! Don’t apologize for being real about the rough month it has been. We’ve also lost precious cats and it takes time to grieve their loss. Sending prayers of peace and love as you move forward. Good for you for trying to be healthier. I am doing that as well and it’s a process. Love all these yummy foods you made. Congrats on working with No. 7. I love their products!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Aww, thank you Kathrine, you’re the best!! I know you know this pain and it is just so hard, I know your prayers are helping and so far, things are a little brighter in April. I love that we’re both trying to be healthier, I have no doubt you’re doing amazing! So happy you love No7 too, I’m still obsessed with the vitamin C eye cream!
My heart hurt reading about Draino, you painted such a vivid picture of how loved she was. I also really appreciate how you wove in the cosy little joys and real life chaos like the strawberry cobbler flop, it made this whole recap feel honest and comforting.
Aww thank you so much Candice, she was our baby! I do hate that it’s been a little gloomy on my lifestyle recaps this year, but I always want to be authentic even when it’s hard to talk about these things. I really had a time with the cobbler haha, but the second one was great!