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Appreciate things without owning them
This has been a lesson in a long time in the making, in my opinion. It boils down to acknowledging that somthing can be, useful/beautiful/nice to have, and not needing to own it myslef. Do I always do this? No. Is it a perfect solution? No Can it still be helpful? Yes. What this often helps me do though is realize in a store or online or whatever that an item might be something compelling intriguing, or just plain nice but that I don’t have to own it myself and have to store it in my home to enjoy it. It honestly comes from intentionalism (read: minimalism) and trying to…
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Married Christmas! – Our 2024 Christmas Card
Hi everyone from the Koelzes! We started off the year not quite at that point but with great friends from church none the less. We also enjoyed one good outdoor skate this year with them. I (Katherine) had a wonderful time hosting a galentines get together at my home for church friends just after Valentine’s Day, complete with tea, cookies, and other delicious treats. Unfortunately in February we also said goodbye to Grandpa Parkin, praise the Lord we were able to all go see him as a family just before he passed. Just 3 months after Grandpa G’s passing. February brought my family’s side (Glader/Parkin) bridal shower along with my…
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Print a Couple Pictures
If you’re anything like me you like to take photos, digitally, on your phone, and often they stay their more than you’d like or more than you realize. I’ve found that printing at least a couple of favorites over time can be nice, whether for a selective photo book or for hanging up various options over time. We like hanging up and framing a couple photos in general to enjoy as we spend time in our home each day. That and I’ve made a few specific photo books over the years. I say this all to encourage you to enjoy the moments you’ve captured and so that you can know…
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Casting a Pod
So I have a podcast, it’s not big, but I’m proud of myself for taking the initiative and producing the episodes I have so far. I wanted to challenge myself to make one and host it solo. I mean I’ve had guests but it means that I make the call on who’s on the show what’s talked about etc. It also means there’s no one to “banter” with “on-air” – I have to keep the flow and monologue – unless I have a guest, and then it’s still up to me to prepare. There’s a few lessons to be gleaned from this experience. One, I don’t think podcasts need to…
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How I’ve Refined My Organizing & Cleaning
So if you’ve read my post on “becoming minimalit” you know that decluttering is the first step. …and honestly, that’s like half of organizing in my opinion at this point. Why? Because it cuts down on what you would otherwise need to organize. So here we go. Organizing Start with putting like with like, as much as you can, from keeping dishes and kitchen things in the kitchen, to keeping all the clothes that fit you in your closet(s), to ensuring paperwork is all together. This means you know what you have in totality. I also suggest being a bit selective with your decor. I’ll be the first to admit…
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Balancing Elegance & Practicality
I will be the first to admit that I not only grew up going to camp, going on camping trips, both tent and camper, and I spent the first few years of my life living in a small town far away from any “rush hours”. Though since moving to the Twin Cities at about 6 I’ve largely considered myself a city girl. That said I I am trying to figure out where I find myself wanting to be. At this point though I find myself wanting to live a lifestyle that is both beautiful, budget conscious, practical, and elegant. I live in the suburbs and I like that to a…
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How to Plan a Budget Conscious Wedding
a NON exhaustive guide My husband(!) and I recently got married and I read all the blogs, I listend to all the Podcasts, I watched all the videos about how to plan a wedding, both in general and on a budget. My biggest points of advice include venue advice, food, decor, and budget as a whole. The venue is what should probably nailed down first especially if you are not committed to a certain date yet. We got married at a church, and I loved that decision especially if you care at all about budget and if you’re a fellow believer, city park facilities are the next best option in…
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What I don’t miss about cars from the past
You know, the bench seats that cars had back in like the 2000s and earlier in the front row? They were just so annoying, I mean who wants to have another spot to put things and another spot for friends to sit and another spot to make better use of space in your vehicle instead of just, the wasted never-set-up-quite right gray plastic bins between the seats, they put there instead. Oh, and I would never want car manufacturers to bring back the fold-down cupholders/armrests in the middle of bench seats for front or back seats. Because who wants more handy and easy-to-access storage? Who would every want a lower…
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A Journey In Minimalism
I’m surprised at myself even as write this – associating with minimalism? me? and maybe some would think I’m off-base but if you saw my YouTube watch history, my garage sale efforts, my past giveaway boxes and trash bags, I believe you’d see the intention if nothing else. No I’m not perfect about it, but I don’t think there is really a perfection to it, as Joshua Becker a famous minimalist says in paraphrase – he’s always working to becoming minimalist. I don’t remember how I first heard about minimalism which is both not particularly important as the action but for me personally, it would be nice to know how…
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Battle of the (Fastfood) Chicken
I really enjoy chicken of most all kinds, like a lot, so over time I’ve tried to do some comparing of different options. I put together a list of my thoughts on which places get it right. Chick-fil-A. Great service matched with great chicken, not to mention great fries, and the stellar Chick-fil-A sauce. The sauce has no contest to me, though I will say it one of a couple memorable sandwiches, though it always seems just a tad spendy, but you get what you pay for, plus curbside pickup for the win, that said my local one makes you go through the drive through instead and I admittedly avoid…
