I’m no home decor genius, but I do know a thing about making my home look more together than it actually is. The internet is full of lies my friends and home styling is full of secrets.
See a gorgeous shelfie full of beautiful bins, books that have only been once, and perfume bottles full of expensive liquids? Those bins are either empty, or full of junk. Bins are a perfect way to add texture and break up a styling space, but more often than not are full of lies. I have a bin in our bedroom that’s sat empty for months, while another one is just full of squishies.
That super adorable chair is usually covered in a giant blanket to prevent cats from scratching it. My new office chair is gorgeous, but it only comes out to snap a picture and then it goes right back under a quilt. No way am I letting my claw-crazy cats get their hands on its fabric. Most of our furniture is safe if it’s leather, but anything fabric is destined for claw marks. Pets are the best, but not when it comes to keeping furniture looking its best.
Beds are only made when guests are coming over or a photo is being taken. At least in our household anyway. There are those amazing people who make their bed every day and I seriously envy you, but that just doesn’t happen here. I’m lucky if the blankets are even still left on the bed. Yet when there are relatives coming into town or we’re hosting a party, the place looks good and proper.
The house is only as tidy as the edges of a photo. Seriously. This one is a big one for all the Instagram ready houses you see online. You only see what the photographer wants you to see. I often have a basket of ready-to-fold-a-week-ago laundry just out of frame of most photos I take. Like the one for this post. So. Much. Laundry. So if your house feels constantly messy and you just don’t know how everyone else can keep up with it? Feel confident knowing that they don’t either.
Although Michigan seems to have not gotten the autumn memo yet, my brain is officially in fall mode. Despite having a to do list a mile long there are still five things I want to squeeze in as the days get a bit colder.
Eat my weight in cinnamon sugar doughnuts specifically from a local farm. I’ve heard rumor that the west side of Michigan is packed with places to go. Now I just have to decide on a place, or three.
Nothing says fall to me like getting lost in a corn maze. I’ll skip the spooky ones as I like my mazes on the scare-free side of things, but it’s so fun to get lost for a little bit. Plus they’re always designed in such cool shapes and usually include a puzzle or two.
While I’m shoving my face full of doughnuts, it’ll be nice to balance it all out by eating an apple fresh from the tree. This is a tradition Alex and I find ourselves doing regardless of our busy schedules. There’s just something about wandering around and picking that perfect apple to take a big bite out of.
So I realize a lot of my fall goals orbit around food, but I know who I am. I also would love to drink so many chai tea lattes with pumpkin spice that I end up turning a weird shade of orange because of it. Chai tea with pumpkin is by far more superior to the average pumpkin spiced latte. If you haven’t tried it, you need to.
I would also love to by one or five new chunky sweaters. I still have a few that I’ve owned for almost eight years now and it feels about time for a refresh. A nice grey or a beige would send my autumn loving heart a flutter.
What are some fall traditions that you just can’t get enough of?
Although we’re vlogging pretty regularly over on our vlog channel, a good ol’ life updates post once and a while never hurt anyone. And with a new addition to the family and lots of new things in the world of planning and beauty, it felt about time.
Let’s start with an update on our newest furry friend Gallifrey. I wrote an introduction post recently, but since he’s a growing kitten a lot has already changed. He’s become a lot more adventurous, has developed a very annoying 5am wake up routine for first breakfast, and Tardis and him fight like siblings (in a good way). I must say although getting him came out of the blue, he’s the perfect addition to our family and just what we needed. He’s perfect at making us take a moment, put down the stickers, and enjoy a little family time. Fur babes are good for that.
Guys. I own a traveler’s notebook. I still haven’t a clue what I’m doing with it, but my first intro post will be up tomorrow with what I’ve learned so far about the entire thing. Spoiler, I love it. I’m not giving up my Erin Condren Life Planner anytime soon, but this bad boy is already a great addition to the team and has me ignoring the Rifle Paper Co planner I used to go on about. This one is just so much more customizable, change-able, and smaller. But more on all of this tomorrow.
With fall in full force the beauty launches are rampant lately. I’m lucky enough to get some PR samples sent to my door occasionally including the new Urban Decay Troublemaker Mascara. My thoughts? It’s not worth the hype. The packaging is to die for, but the bristles are small and my lashes look great for a light-makeup every day look. But at least for me I don’t see what all the boasting is about. Just thought you guys should know before shelling out some good money on a higher end mascara. The Perversion mascara by UD is loads better and another tube is already waiting in my Sephora cart for my next purchase. Plus it’s a dollar cheaper, and that stuff matters to a penny-pincher like myself.
Besides the dud of mascara, there are a ton of new launches and exciting things to talk about on the blog. So prepare your eyes for some good old fashion makeup review posts. That’s some old school MicroscopeBeauty for you.
Now I have to rush pack for an overnight trip across the state at Alex’s parents’ house. We’re making an impromptu trip over since they won this sailing trip through a raffle or something. That seems like a totally Alex’s parents thing to have happen. So off we go sailing in the middle of September. Where’s my coat?!
This gorgeous cat was definitely not planned. We woke up Sunday morning with no intention of bringing home a new member of the family. By the end of the day we both found ourselves laying on the floor swooning over the cutest little kitten. What a very crazy turn of events.
To be fair, Alex and I have been considering getting our six-year-old cat Tardis a friend for a few years now. So when one of our neighbors posted a week or so ago about having Maine Coon kittens available, we started to really think about it. We’ve both wanted a Maine Coon since we discovered the amazing breed about five years ago. They basically are the dogs of the cat world. Seriously google them. They’re massive.
It seemed like fate that out of the blue there happened to be a litter in our neighborhood. But we just didn’t know if getting one was the right move for us. I’m sure you’re aware by now that we’re pretty cautious decision makers and enjoy extensive research for nearly every choice we make. We can’t even decide where to eat without serious googling first.
We avoided our neighbors’ house for about five days. We told the owners it just wasn’t the right time for us and tried hard not to swoon over the photos of the kittens. One by one the litter found homes and we thought we managed to escape the allure. Then on Sunday Alex randomly suggested we just, “Go and see the last kitten. And at the very least make some new neighbor friends.” So off we went.
We spent the majority of the time at the neighbors’ getting to know them. Alex did all that he could to avoid looking at the kitten and I knew as soon as I walked into the door I wanted this little guy in my life. I’m a sucker for a good ol’ kitty.
Fifty minutes later we started walking back to our house and knew it was over. By the time we reached our front door we were texting the owners that we wanted the last kitten they had left. We picked Gallifrey up about an hour later after shopping for supplies.
He’s perfect. He’s so playful, spunky, and already has Tardis chasing him around the house. The two have been getting along famously but I have yet to sang the perfect profile picture for their shared instagram account. Prepare your eyeballs for cuteness if you head over there for a looksie.
This week has been one blur of kitty cuddles and sleepless nights ever since. Who could possibly blog when there’s such cuteness trying to electrocute itself on my laptop cord?
Today marks one year of marriage. One year since the quickest day of my life flew by in a love-filled blur. When they say it goes fast, it truly does. This whole first year seemed to speed by and now here I am thinking back on what it’s like to be one year in.
Being married now is better than it was yesterday and countless times more than on our wedding day. Every day is better than the one before. It’s definitely something you can’t really explain to people who haven’t gone through it. This feeling of knowing you have a partner in crime by your side no matter what. Having a live-in best friend who just gets you. It’s basically the best thing ever.
So today we’re taking the day off. We’ve already rewatched our wedding videos and flipped through our photo albums. We started a yearly tradition of writing down what we’ve learned about marriage and each other and now all we have left to do is spend some quality time together. Plus eat a very gross looking year-old wedding cake. Wish me luck.
Years in the Benda household are packed full of change and excitement. I’m sure year two will be no different.
These are the two videos from that seriously awesome day. One is the professionally done one, but the other is our behind-the-scenes take on the entire day. Thanks so much for sharing in this with us!
August lingered in my life a lot longer than most months. It gave me plenty of time to discover some new favorites and seriously check things off my to do list, so I’m not complaining.
I’ve been having one serious love affair with IT Cosmetics lately. After a huge PR package arrived (watch the vlog) the brand took over my collection as I’ve been giving everything a serious test. I recently shared my favorites from all the new launches, but two have stuck out more than the rest. The Bye Bye Lines Foundation is the best I’ve tried in a long time. More often than not I gravitate towards tinted moisturizers and BB/CC creams since foundations just don’t give that light glow. This foundation finally ticks all the boxes. It’s super hydrating and dewy on the skin while being about to be worn light our built up. Just gorgeous. The Brow Power Powder became a fast favorite as well because of just how easy it is to sweep onto the brows every day. Plus it’s the perfect shade for my somewhere between light brown and dark brown hair.
My mascara drawer is packed full of currently-in-use mascaras these days, but they’ve all been letting me down. Nothing seems to do what it boasts it does except Urban Decay’s Perversion Mascara. I’m sure I’m moments away from scraping the last bits out of the tube, but it’s just so good at giving length while bringing some serious volume. Plus it holds a curl throughout the majority of the day despite my lashes demanding to return to their stick-straight ways.
After what felt like years in fashion hibernation, I’m getting the itch to expand my wardrobe again. I’ve added a few statement pieces here and there over the past month, but nothing quite like this poppy floral shirt from H&M. I wear it throughout my favorites video if you want to see it on, but it’s so unlike anything I’ve worn in the past. And I love it. Poofy sleeves and a nice fit. Sold.
August packed itself full of work accomplishments, but designing and producing our first wholesale catalog tops the list. I still can’t believe it exists in the real world now. Next on the to do list is to start hitting up retail spaces trying to get our products in them. No small feat but we’re feeling pretty optimistic.
No favorites are complete without some planner stickers I’ve been crushing on lately. My bestie Meghan over at The Novel Coffee just released a seriously impressive line of font stickers. There’s something like 26-28 different ones to choose from and I basically need them all in my life. Head on over there to check them out and use code “KAYLA” for 15% off if you find anything you just have to have.
What a crazy month that only jumpstarts the even crazier fall months. So much is on the horizon and I can’t wait to share all the adventures with you.
